Buton Rinchen Drub

CHINA, Tibet

This is the first in a set of eleven thangkas made during the late 17th century that depict the Shalu lineage and the Dharma protectors of Shalu Monastery in Shigatse, Tibet. The central figure, Buton Rinchen Drub, was the abbot of the monastery and a renowned scholar who compiled and organized the Tibetan canon into the Kangyur and the Tengyur.
Buton wears a ritual hood and a monastic robe with a decorated hem. He sits in full lotus position on a lotus throne, forming the Dharmacakra (Dharma wheel) mudra with both hands. A pair of long-stemmed lotuses supporting a vajra and a bell flank the central figure.
Two disciples sit beside the lotus throne. The figure on the left is Rinchen Namgyal, who continued the Shalu lineage after Buton. The rest of the thangka is filled with small figures including Vajradhara, Sakyamuni Buddha, Maitreya Buddha, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, Nagarjuna, Atisa, and Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug school. The fine details and patterns in the artwork are emphasized by the black background.