Amitabha Thangka

[Amitabha Thangka]

Amitabha Thangka, 18th century, Beijing, cloth, color, 154 cm high, 83 cm wide, 89 cm vertical and 59 cm horizontal. The old collection of the Qing Palace
This painting shows the Buddha of Infinite Life in red, with a kind face, a golden crown on his head, a wreath on his body, a meditation seal on his hands, and a gold bottle in which evergreen treasure trees grow. Sitting in a folded position, bearing a five-color lotus platform, the body is transparent. The peonies with tangled branches are painted behind them, with luxuriant flowers and leaves, forming a unique round back. There are two five-color halos between the colored clouds at the top of the picture, and there are three Infinite Shou Buddhas painted in the middle and inside. The Buddha Tower and the arch at the bottom also show the shape of Infinite Shou Buddhas, which is like its incarnation Infinite and full of void. The other parts of the painting, such as the scenery of the forest springs and mountains, are quite traditional in Chinese landscape painting, while the decorative style of flowers and clouds combines more Tibetan painting forms, together with its simple composition and rough brushwork, which reflects the characteristics of the Thangka painted in the Central Hall
There is a white silk label on the back of the Thangka, which is inscribed in four characters of Han, Manchu, Mongolian and Tibetan in ink. The Chinese text is: “On August 13, the emperor ordered the painting of Buddha and Lama in the main hall of the Qianlong Emperor to worship the benefit portrait of the Buddha of Infinite Life”.