Karmapa Mikyo Dorje

CHINA, Tibet; 14th–17th century

This thangka depicts the footprints, handprints, and image of Mikyo Dorje, the Eighth Karmapa of the Kagyu school. It is thought that the thangka was created between 1550 and 1554, while Mikyo Dorje was still alive. In Tibetan Buddhism, paying respect to the guru’s hand and footprints is equivalent to paying homage to the guru himself. The hand and footprints in the four corners rest on lotuses.
Mikyo Dorje wears an orange monastic robe and a black hat, a distinctive attribute of the Karmapas. His arms are crossed in front of his chest; the hands form a mudra while holding a vajra pestle and a bell. The Karmapa has a nimbus and an aureole, and sits in full lotus position on a lotus throne. Above him within the large mandorla, there are eight small images of the Karmapa, seated in a unique posture with their hands and feet extended outwards, displaying their palms and the soles of their feet. Beside and below the central figure, there are seven colorful dancing dakinis. An eighth dakini, flanked by offerings, is portrayed below the mandorla.
There are three seated figures at the top of the image. The red central figure is Amitayus Buddha, the figure on the right is Padmasambhava, while on the left is another representation of the Karmapa. At the bottom of the painting there is a wrathful Dharma protector who rides a horse and is surrounded by billowing flames. The mountain landscape in the background is painted with soft greens and blues, giving a sense of expansive space to the painting.