A History of Fine Art in India and Ceylon, from the Earliest Times to the Present Day c15.s1.7
A History of Fine Art in India and Ceylon, from the Earliest Times to the Present Day c15.s1.7
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c15.s1.7
The ugly picture on the obverse of panel D. vii, 6, measuring 12¾×8 inches, representing a three-faced, four-armed deity, supposed to be a Tantric form of Avalokitesvara, squatting on a chequered cushion supported by two white bulls, is purely Indian, and is so closely related to the modern Lamaist compositions that it might be described as the oldest extant Tibetan painting. The body and front face of the deity are dark blue, the face on the proper right, with a feminine expression, is white, and the demoniac face on the proper left is yellow. The outline is drawn in thick black lines, and the work has little aesthetic merit (Stein, Pl. LX).