THEACQUISITION
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CHRISTIE’SART+AUCTION MARCH (^2016) | BLOUINARTINFO.COM
0hat attracts me most about
this thangka is its long history—it is
600 years old—and its impeccable
condition. Executed in gold thread
embroidered on silk, it epitomizes the
beauty of Chinese art. You can tell
from this work that, during the
Yongle period (1402–24) of the Ming
Dynasty, when the thangka was
made, China adopted a conciliatory
approach to ethnic minorities. The
piece, which depicts Raktayamari (the
“red enemy of death”) and his consort,
Vajravetali, is one of three made
around the same time. It was presented
by the Yongle court as a gift to Tibet,
and therefore has great signiicance.
Since its creation, the thangka has
traveled vast distances across time
and space, from China, to India, to the
United Kingdom, to the Americas,
and then back to Asia. Since the 1970s
it has appeared on the market several
times, most recently in 2002, when
it sold for $4 million at Christie’s
Hong Kong. Eventually it came on the
block again in Hong Kong, at that
same house, where I managed to
acquire it for $45 million and change
in November 2014.
From an artistic point of view,
this piece is a vision of beauty. From a
spiritual angle, it tells the story of
Buddhism in our country [China] and
how we integrated Tibetan culture
so many years ago.
Every time I look at this thangka,
I feel very small. For me, its sig-
niicance is not personal. As it is
an iconic representation of Tibetan
culture, it should be an important
piece for any museum or art institu-
tion. But for the moment, it happens
to be mine, and it is an extremely
important component of my Buddhist
art collection, which I have every
intention of expanding.
Liu Yiqian on an
Imperial Thangka
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