A thangka depicting a mandala of Vasudhara, Nepal, 14th / 15th century

German Private Collection, acquired prior to 1990.

The six-armed Buddhist goddess of wealth is seated in lalitasana on a lotus throne at the centre of the mandala palace, with a sutra, a sheaf of grain and a kalasha in her left hands, and her right with bountiful gestures and holding a triratna. The throne is set within a cusped trilobate niche strewn with gold, gems and jewelled emblems poured from sacks held by attendants above. Palace gates at the cardinal directions are framed with vajra-form arches emerging from the mouths of makara. The palace rests on a circular lotus flower within a ring of multicoloured flames. Prajnaparamita, Akshobhya Buddha, Tara and Pratisara are depicted in the quadrants outside the mandala, surrounded by geometric registers depicting scenes from the Suchandra avadana, with Pancharaksha goddesses and donors below.

Compare the style and vibrant palette of the earliest recorded Nepalese Vasudhara mandala, dated 1365, sold at Sotheby’s London, 31 May, 2011, lot 84 for an unprecedented price. Compare also the overall format with the inclusion of ritual scenes and donors below, and with each episode from the Suchandra avadana depicted with alternating and contrasting backgrounds of deep red and dark blue, a conventional Nepalese device used already in twelfth century manuscript cover illumination, see W. Zwalf, Buddhism: Art and Faith, London, 1985, pls. 169, 172.

Vasudhara is one of the most popular goddesses in Nepal and is worshipped as bestower of prosperity. According to mythology she is the consort of the king of the nature spirits who are invoked for bountiful harvests: Vasudhara is traditionally depicted holding a sheaf of grain in one of her left hands. She is regarded as “the great milk Yakshi” equating wealth and prosperity with the ownership of cattle and the bountiful production of milk, see Pratapaditya Pal, Himalayas: An Aesthetic Adventure, Chicago, 2003, p. 280.

The scenes in the side registers of the painting refer to episodes from the legend of Suchandra who’s son stole bricks from a stupa. The sacrilegious act resulted in the breakdown of the family and the loss of their wealth. Suchandra supplicated the Buddha with all that he could muster in his straightened circumstances. The Buddha advised that he worshipped Vasudhara, and his wealth was restored. The story promotes the devotional worship of the goddess and is often included in Nepalese Vasudhara mandalas.