ETHNOFLORENCE
INDIAN AND HIMALAYAN
FOLK AND TRIBAL ARTS
June 19, 2021
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(1)
ASTROLOGICAL PRINTING BLOCKS
པར་རྐོ། – 木刻版
AN EXPLICATED ICONOGRAPHY
Both The “Naktsi” or “Black astrology” (so called because in Tibetan China is called the ‘black area), and the’ “Astrology of the Elements” or Jungtsi, the two most important Tibetan astrological systems, have a Chinese origin. Chinese astronomy and astrology originate in particular in the Tibetan context concepts with an iconographic implication (which is part of our research) such as the Trigrams from the I Ching, the Mewa or nine magic squares, the twelve animals, the five elements. Chinese astrology was probably introduced in Tibet by Princess Kongyo in 643, who married the first Buddhist king of this land.
© 2021 Ethnoflorence Photo Archives Collection – Photo & Composition by Ethnoflorence
A Tibetan astrological diagram showing the nine Mewa (center), surrounded by the 8 Trigrams, and by wheel of the twelve animals .
Ethnoflorence Photo Archives Collection
Astrological Carved Wood Block – no 68906 – Collection Rubin Museum of Art – Photo Credit Himalayan Org.
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The Wheel of the 12 Animals
The twelve animals: Mouse, Ox, Tiger, Hare, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Bird, Dog, and Pig are associated with hours, days, months and years. Each animal is connected to an element that represents its life force, a direction, a specific sex and certain personality characteristics.
© 2021 Ethnoflorence Photo Archives Collection – Photo & Composition by Ethnoflorence
The Wheel of 12 animals iconographically constitutes the outer band of the astrological block.
Extract from – The Buddhism of Tibet, or Lamaism with its mystic cults, symbolism and mythology, and in its relation to Indian Buddhism – (1895)
Difference between the Tibetan Wheel of the 12 animals and the Western Zodiac
The Tibetan wheel of 12 animals, with its 12-fold division, is certainly similar, from an iconographic point of view, to its western counterpart, the zodiac, but it differs in meaning because while in the West the zodiac the signs of the people are determined by the solar calendar, in the East the sign is determined according to the year of birth by turning the cycle of 12 animals in succession from year to year. The pattern followed by the animal wheel involves this succession is: Mouse, Ox, Tiger, Hare, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Bird, Dog, and Pig. As mentioned, therefore, the 12-year animal cycle is repeated from year to year. Another difference with the western calendar lies in the fact that the beginning of the new year does not coincide with the first of January, but this date is placed in coincidence with the new moon closest to the month of February.
The Planets and Calendar & Symbols of Days of the Week – Extract from – The Buddhism of Tibet, or Lamaism with its mystic cults, symbolism and mythology, and in its relation to Indian Buddhism – (1895)
The Nine Mewa
or ‘nine colored islands’ derive from the I Ching and Chinese numerology, and are each associated with a color, direction and element – from an iconographic point of view they constitute the central part of the composition
Sometimes the nine Mewa, as in the image on the right, are arranged in a magic square which gives a total of 15, in anyway and however they are added together.
THE EIGHT TRIGRAMS – PARKHAS
Middle part of the composition between the twelve signs and the nine Newa are the Eight Trigrams (Parkhas) representing the equivalent of the Chinese pa-kua, which form the basis of the I Ching, based on the concept of Yin and Yang.
© 2021 Ethnoflorence Photo Archives Collection – Photo & Composition by Ethnoflorence
The Parkhas represent the elements of Fire, Earth, Metal, Sky, Water, Mountain, Wood and Wind and are an extension of the theory of the five elements.
Geometric Trigamas – Extratc from – The Buddhism of Tibet, or Lamaism with its mystic cults, symbolism and mythology, and in its relation to Indian Buddhism – (1895)
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An Iconographic Resume
© 2021 Ethnoflorence Photo Archives Collection – Photo & Composition by Ethnoflorence
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(2)
HIMALAYAN MASKS
A LIVING TRADITION
SERIES
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Mask festival Pekhdi Fagli in Pekhdi village – Tirthan Ghati – Banjar – Kullu District – Himachal Pradesh
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Where the evil powers are chased out of the village by a masked procession that carries out obscene acts interspersed with insults and obscene songs.
Photo Credit of https://himachalsamay.com/
This is a Fagli festival that is organized annually during Falgun Sankranti (फागुन सक्रांति).
Through the dance of the masks the demoniac influences are removed from the village, so as to be able to ensure rain, good harvest, happiness, prosperity throughout the rest of the year.
Photo Credit of Photo Credit of https://www.himachalnews.co/news/
The 3-day Pekhdi Fagli festival is held in the Pekhdi village of Tirthan Ghati in the Banjar subdivision of the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh.
The villagers of Pekhdi participate in this festival along with the local people of the Tirthan valley.
Photo Credit of https://www.himachalnews.co/news/
The village geographically located in a remote area of mountainous character, is surrounded on all sides by mountains and forests,the dances in which the masks are worn are performed only by male members of 7 different local families.
Photo Credit of https://www.himachalnews.co/news/
After this, for 3 days, they do the parikrama of each house and village with musical instruments, and after worshiping the deity on the last day, the demonic spirits are driven out of the village.
In this festival, women are forbidden to watch dance in some places because obscene acts are also done in this by abusing them with obscene songs.
The first day is celebrated the Chhoti Fagli, in which the dance and circumambulation are performed only in a limited area. The second day Badi Fagli is organized in which Mandayale, wearing a mask, enters every house in the country and blesses it with happiness and prosperity.
On this day, a special Chiladdu dish is prepared throughout the village and in the evening a great dance is organized in the Devta Maidan, in which men and women dance together.
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The wooden part of these eye-slit masks similar to much of the HP production is characterized by a – basic light monochrome – decorated with – red lines and red dots interspersed with green dots – a thick beard attached under the nose covers partially the mouth – the upper part houses a sorghum structure that creates a particular scenographic effect to the general structure.
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UPCOMING AUCTIONS
(3)
CHEZ
(A)
Millon – Ventes aux enchères
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CARNETS DE VOYAGES ONLINE
ART TRIBAL D’AFRIQUE, D’OCEANIE & DU NEPAL
vendredi 25 juin 2021 13:30
Online Catalogue here
from 307 to 344
Himalayan lots
https://www.millon.com/catalogue/116118?
Worth noting is an interesting Tharu post richly decorated representing the Tharu shrine female deity (normally with five prongs on the top – here are six) Daharcandi ( preventing epidemic) –
Photo Credit of Millon – Ventes aux enchères
(lot 320) https://www.millon.com/lot/116118/15417044?offset=300&
For an explicated inconography – Nepalese Tharu’s Shrine Iconography – नेपाली थारू की श्राइन आइकोनोग्राफी
Photo credit of Musée du Quai Branly, donateur Alexander William MacDonald (collection)
The figure represents the Tharu shrine male deity village Cabahwa (protector of the hearth & village) , normally combined with the female deity (with five prongs on the top) Daharcandi ( preventing epidemic) –
यह आंकड़ा थारू तीर्थ पुरुष देवता ग्राम कैबहवा (चूल्हा और गाँव का रक्षक) का प्रतिनिधित्व करता है, सामान्य रूप से महिला देवता (शीर्ष पर पांच प्रंगों के साथ) दहरचंडी (महामारी को रोकने) के साथ संयुक्त है –
Together the effigies of Cabahwa and Daharcandi – the row of five wooden small pegs – in this Furer Haimendorf pic SOAS Library (PPMS19_6_THAR_0067 – caption: Two statues with peacock and other symbols carved into )- represent the Hindu epic Pandava’s five brothers.
कैबहवा और दहरकंडी के पुतलों के साथ-साथ पांच लकड़ी के छोटे खूंटे की पंक्ति – इस Furer Haimendorf pic SOAS लाइब्रेरी (PPMS19_6_THAR_0067 – कैप्शन: में दो मूर्तियों के साथ मोर और अन्य प्रतीकों को उकेरा गया है) – हिंदू महाकाव्य पांडव के पांच भाइयों का प्रतिनिधित्व करते हैं।
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(B)
Auction Art Remy le Fur & Associes
La Collection
25 ans d’ecletisme
8 Juillet 2021 a 13h30
offers some lots with Nepalese masks
More info here
http://www.auctionartparis.com/ventes-aux-encheres-536/2021-07-08-la-collection-25-ans-declectisme-
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ETHNOFLORENCE INDIAN AND HIMALAYAN FOLK AND TRIBAL ARTS 