Miniature Paintings in Himalayan Art
Subjects, Topics & Types:
- Banners Description (below)
- Medicine Buddha
- Medicine Buddha (Jucker/Huntington)
- Mahasiddha Banner (AMNH)
- Seven Jewels of Royalty Banner
- Masterworks
- Confusions
- Others...
Strings of Paintings (banners) are small paintings anywhere from a few inches in height to approximately 12 inches that are framed in cloth or brocade mounts and sewn together in a series. They almost always depict sets of figures, often deities, or cycles of deities. The most popular subject is the Fifty-one Deities of the Medicine Buddha Mandala. Other subjects can include the deities of the Chakrasamvara mandala, the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities of the Guhyagarbha Tantra and the Eight Forms of Padmasambhava. The strings of paintings are intended to be hung in small chapels. When not in use they are folded one on top of the other rather then rolled as is typical for larger compositions.
Jeff Watt 2-2016