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Early Tibetan paintings are strictly organized with each figure portrayed at a size and receiving a placement that reflects his or her relative importance. For instance, Ratnasambhava is the subject of the painting, and so he is the largest figure and placed at the center. He is richly bejeweled, with all of his jewelry raised and gilded, as is typical of Tibetan paintings of this subject and period. The bold color scheme, strong shading, and abundance of decorative details separates this work from earlier examples of this theme.
Buddha Ratnasambhava with Wealth Deities
OriginTibet
Dateearly to mid-14th century
Dimensions32 × 26 in. (estimated)
MediumMineral pigments on cloth
Classification(s)
Credit LineRubin Museum of Art
Object numberC2005.16.39
Himalayan Art Resources Number65462
DescriptionRatnasambhava, the buddha that presides over the southern direction, is one of the Buddhas of the Five Families, each associated with a cardinal direction. This painting is no doubt from a set of five, each depicting one of these buddhas. Ratnasambhava represents the jewel family. His various identifying characteristics include his yellow color, his hand gesture symbolic of giving, and his horse vehicle, shown peeking out from either end of his lotus throne. This buddha and his jewel family are associated with wealth, and five forms of the wealth deity Jambhala are shown along the bottom of the painting.Early Tibetan paintings are strictly organized with each figure portrayed at a size and receiving a placement that reflects his or her relative importance. For instance, Ratnasambhava is the subject of the painting, and so he is the largest figure and placed at the center. He is richly bejeweled, with all of his jewelry raised and gilded, as is typical of Tibetan paintings of this subject and period. The bold color scheme, strong shading, and abundance of decorative details separates this work from earlier examples of this theme.
19th century
18th century
19th century
14th century
ca. 1415-1435
18th century
14th century
19th century
late 19th century
late 18th – early 19th century
late 19th or 20th century
Dated by inscription 1842