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Original fileUpasaka Dharmatala with Tiger
Tibet, pitture dei thangka, su cotone, con bordi cinesi più tardi, xviii secolo, upasaka dharmatala 02 tigre
About This Work
Dharmatala is shown with a dark complexion, wearing a white headcloth and a light pink robe over a red undershirt, holding a circular hand-fan. He looks upward toward a disembodied hand appearing from the upper right, which holds a golden vessel with a burning flame emerging from it. Below and behind him stands a large, naturalistically rendered tiger with orange and black stripes and prominent, alert golden eyes. The background consists of stylized green mounds, pink clouds, and delicate flowers, framed by a border of patterned Chinese textile.
Dharmatala is one of the Sixteen Arhats' attendants, a figure traditionally associated with the transmission of Buddhism from India to Tibet. His iconography often features him traveling with a tiger and carrying the attributes of the Arhats, symbolizing his role as an devoted guardian and practitioner.