In Tibet, religious paintings come in many forms, one being the “thangka,” which is a painting on cotton that usually depicts a Buddhist deity, scene, or mandala. This particular one shows the various scenes of the Buddha’s life, including his years as a prince, his quest for a solution to overcome human suffering, and the fulfillment of his search by teaching others to achieve enlightenment. We archivally presented the painting in an ornate antique gold moulding from Larson Juhl’s “Allegra” collection, flax linen liner from Larson Juhl, gold leaf fillet from Decor, and Tru Vue Museum glass.

In Buddhism, Avalokitasvara is a bodhisattva (one who follows the path towards awakening) who contains the compassion of all Buddhas. One story tells of him vowing to free all sentient beings from the cycle of reincarnation until his head splits into eleven pieces and his arms shatter. The Buddha Amitābha comes and gives him eleven heads and one thousand arms to help him aid the suffering multitudes. This original painting depicting the figure has been archivally presented in an ornate gold moulding from Larson Juhl’s “Calais” collection, linen liner from Larson Juhl, gold fillet from Decor, mat from Peterboro with hand-painted bevel, and Tru Vue Museum glass.