A GROUP OF FOUR TSAKLITIBET, CIRCA 1300 Distemper and gold on cloth. Himalayan Art Resources item no. 1438 Image: 3 1/8 x 2 5/8 in. (7.9 x 6.7 cm), largest; Image: 2 7/8 x 2 3/8 in. (7.3 x 6 cm), smallest 西藏 約1300年 微型佛畫四幅 Tsakali are small paintings carried by itinerant lamas from monastery to monastery. They are used in evocation rituals performed by lamas during the initiation of novitiates, as well as in empowerment rituals, mandala creations, as a support for visualization, and even as substitutes for ceremonial items. Typical of the early 14th century, the four deities depicted here, each varying in color—white, red, blue, and yellow are framed by lobbed niches and floating flowers in the spandrels. These features can be observed in a thangka of Amitabha formerly in the Jucker Collection (Sotheby's, New York, 26 March, 2006, lot 48) and two other examples in private collections (HAR 36445 & 36448).pare with five other Tsakalis published in Heller, "A Set of Thirteenth Century Tsakali" in Orientations: Art of Tibet , 1998, pp. 266-8, figs. 1-5. Provenance: Private American Collection