Painting Set: Gesar Life Story (Sichuan Provincial Museum)
Gesar Life Story Painting Set | Gesar Main PageSubjects, Topics & Types:
- Gesar Painting Set Description (below)
- Gesar Outline Page
- Gesar Number Sets
- Glossary: Gesar
- Confusions
- Others...
There are only two early paintings sets known to exist (at this time) that depict the life story of Ling Gesar. They are both from the late 19th century and are of the same composition and design. The first belongs to the Sichuan Provincial Museum, Chengdu, China. That set is complete with eleven paintings in total. The other known painting set belongs to the Guimet Museum, Paris, France. It only has two of the eleven compositions. The whereabouts of the missing nine paintings are currently unknown.
The central image of the main painting is that of Ling Gesar Norbu Dradul. The central figures in eight of the paintings belong to a group known as the Eight Werma, or Eight Gods of Ling.
The colour image of Gesar below is from the painting on display in a gallery at the Sichuan Provincial Museum. The black and white images below are from the publication: Rolf A. Stein, Peintures Tibetaines de la vie de Gesar, Arts Asiatiques, Vol.4, pp.243-271, 1958.
Jeff Watt [updated 10-2017]
