Tibetan Thangka "Buddha of Enlightenment", XVII-XVIIIth c.

Tibetan Thangka of "Buddha of Enlightenment". Tibet, XVII-XVIII centuries.
Mineral pigments on canvas.
Presented mounted in a stretcher frame of the 20th century.
Measurements: 65,5 x 54 cm; 67,5 x 57 cm (frame).

Tibetan Thangka made with mineral pigments on canvas, representing Shakyamuni Buddha, the historical Buddha, at the moment of his enlightenment. Seated in lotus position on a petal throne, the Buddha adopts the gesture of touching the earth as a witness (bhumisparsha mudra) with the right hand, while holding the alms bowl in the left. The scene takes place in a symbolic mountain setting and is surrounded by other celestial Buddhist figures and devotional attendants.
The pictorial style shows a frontal, symmetrical and hierarchical composition, with a firm and symbolic line, typical of the classical models of Tibetan art. At the base, guardian lions and floral offerings appear, all with a rich polychrome based on traditional natural pigments (cinnabar red, indigo blue, yellow ochre, malachite green, etc.).

On the back, the work preserves handwritten Tibetan ritual inscriptions, with the sacred syllables "Om - Ah - Hum", used to consecrate the painting as a devotional object. This detail, together with the dark, stable and genuine patina on the reverse, reinforces its religious and traditional character.
The dark, stable and ancient patina of the reverse, together with the archaizing painting technique and the materials used, allow us to place this work in the 17th-18th centuries, within the tradition of Tibetan religious painting prior to the stylistic modernization of the 19th century.

Thangkas were used as liturgical supports in altars, monasteries and ritual contexts, and also as visual tools in the spiritual teaching of Tibetan Buddhism.