A TIBETAN THANGKA

19TH CENTURY

Decorated with a central figure of Tsong Karpa, the leader of the Gelupka school of Tibetan Buddhism, seated before a mandala and lotus blossoms, surrounded with scenes of his life with smaller figures amidst flowers, river landscapes and clouds, the multi-armed protector Mahakala beneath, 81cm x 53cm.

Provenance: Hinton Daniell Stewart (1835-1926) of Strathgarry, Perthshire, and thence by descent. Hinton Stewart went to China as a young man and is believed to have acquired this piece on his return to the UK in the 1880s. He founded the firm of Stewart Thompson and Sons, Manchester Cotton Merchants.