Chinese painting "Buddhist Guardian, Weituo Pusa", Qing dynasty

Ink on silk.

In the centre, it represents the Buddhist guardian Weituo Pusa, with a youthful look, a serene gaze and a small mouth with a gentle smile. The palms of his hands are situated at the chest level in anjali mudra, and he holds a long sword on his arms. The legs, opened at the shoulders level, are arranged in a guard stance, with the left leg forward and the foot facing the front, while the right foot is slightly cocked. The slender guardian is majestically attired with a celestial colourful armour, full of long ribbons of different fabrics and patrons; its head it crowned by a large helmet with a dragon's head, ending in a high border of tall red feathers. The image of the dragon itself, fierce and intimidating, is repeated on the shoulders, waist and legs. 

Weituo Pusa is one of the thirty-two generals in charge of protecting the four Guardian Kings, and its usually represented as the protector of the Buddhist dharma in the entrance of the temples. 

The wide range of colours used, the diversity of patrons and fabrics embodied, and the subtlety of small details together with the movement of the fabrics, provide a mystical aura full of dynamism to the composition. Qing Dynasty (1644-1912).

Size without frame: 123 x 67.5 (approx.); Size with frame: 125 x 69.5 cm

Provenance: 

- Admiral Giscaulime, belonging to the French expeditionary forces, 19th c. (1860s).

- Now in a private French collection.

References:

- Christie's (7/11/2017) Fine Chinese ceramics & works of art. Lot 357