TROIS TSAKLIS TIBET, XIIIE-XVE SIÈCLETROIS TSAKLISTIBET, XIIIE-XVE SIÈCLE Distemper and cloth; four-armed deity, Ekajati, Vajrasattva.Himalayan Art Resources item no. 205335 11.5 x 18 cm (4 1/2 x 7 1/8 in.), the largest THREE VARIOUS TSAKLITIBET, 13TH-15TH CENTURY西藏 十三至十五世紀 微型佛畫三幀Tsaklis are Buddhist or Bon ritual miniature paintings made on paper, cloth, or woodblock prints, commonly referred to as 'initiation cards'. Averaging between 8 to 18 centimeters in size, these paintings usually follow a unique iconographic program depicting buddhas, bodhisattvas, protector deities, siddhas, lamas, attributes, or ritual objects as a fully contained set. That being said, a complete set is rare to come by, though the initial arrangement would have outlined a specific sequencing for the associated ritual practice. In some cases, writing is included on the front, but almost always inscriptions are included on the back of each card. These inscriptions can identify subjects and their sequencing, imbue the painting with a mantra, include a dedicatory inscription to a lama, or mention the time and place that cards were made.First recorded in the Tanjur, a canon comprising treatises and commentaries on Buddhist doctrine, tsaklis were first described by the monk Anandagarbha during the 11th century, who discusses the, "tsa ka li of the body," in relation to a physical manifestation of a deity and its use as a visual aid in meditative practice. The lack of a complete set and their classification as cult objects has made their precise use vague, though they are understood to relate to the following ritual activities: 1) initiation and empowerment rites; 2) the consecration of images, or to mark or protect a temple; 3) as a substitute for deities or ritual materials; 4) for protective amulets; 5) as aids in meditational practices to help invoke deities. Provenance: (Ekajati)Jack and Muriel ZimmermanPratapaditya Pal, Los AngelesChristie's, New York, 20 March 2008, lot 398