Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Art Future Buddha, smiles at the viewer benevolently. He is...

Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian ArtNew York I September 23, 2020

INDIAN, HIMALAYAN & SOUTHEAST ASIAN ART | 1

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詢問詳情印度、喜馬拉雅及東南亞藝術部門

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SALE NUMBER26511Lots 601 - 659

CATALOGUE$35

ILLUSTRATIONSFront cover: Lot 616Back cover: Lot 626Inside front cover: Lot 615Inside back cover: Lot 630

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Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian ArtNew York | Wednesday September 23, 2020 at 3pm

Bonhams© 2020, Bonhams & Butterfields Auctioneers Corp.; All rights reserved.

Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art

Edward WilkinsonGlobal Head

Mark RasmussenHead of Sales

Doris Jin HuangSpecialist

Asmara RabierCataloguer

Dora TanAdministrator

New York, Hong Kong, Singapore

Global Representatives

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Aude LouisSpecialist Asian Art

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Islamic & Indian Art

Oliver WhiteHead of Department

Matthew ThomasSpecialist

London

601A TURQUOISE AND GOLD ‘MOONEATER’ (CHEPPU)LHASA, TIBET, CIRCA 1900 Inset with rubies and carnelian. Himalayan Art Resources item no.16825 4 1/2 X 3 in. (11.4 x 7.6 cm)

$45,000 - 55,000

拉薩西藏約1900年金嵌綠松石胸飾 The magnificent brooch, known as a ‘mooneater’ (cheppu), epitomizes this most sought-after article of antique Tibetan jewelry. Until the late 1940s, ‘mooneaters’ were worn by Tibetan officials during New Year Festivals. This colloquialism derives from the festival’s lunar calendar and the article having the appearance of a surmounting kirtimukha (‘face of glory’) biting into a large disc (moon). However, these components are ubiquitous Buddhist symbols, the disc represents a lotus, which signifies any being’s ability to attain enlightenment regardless of their origin, and the kirtimukha is a talisman which protects the wearer from harm. Details within this example surpass most others and include the textured surfaces of the first concentric lotus band, the kirtimukha’s face, and the vajra finial above, achieved through delicate carving. Moreover, the kirtimukha’s face and limbs are delightfully embellished with carnelian, rubies, and gold. Furthermore, the back of the brooch is highly elaborate: the lower section fashioned with fine gold filigree work, and the upper section with two horizontal buckles. It was in response to such increasingly lavish articles that the 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso (r.1879-1933), imposed a sumptuary law limiting the expense of any one item of jewelry to 25,000 rupees. The present lot compares favorably with another ‘mooneater’ on the front cover of the Ghysels Collection catalog (Geoffroy-Schneiter, Bijoux des toits du monde, Geneva, 2012), as well as those in other esteemed collections of Tibetan jewelry, such as the Barbara and David Kipper Collection (Ghose (ed.), Vanishing Beauty, Chicago, 2016, p.100, nos.108-10) and the Mengdiexuan Collection (Xu (ed.), Jewels of Transcendence, Hong Kong, 2018, p.161, no.107). Provenance Private American Collection before 2000

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601 (reverse) 601


602A COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF SENGGE GYALTSENTIBET, 14TH/15TH CENTURY The back of the lotus base with a Tibetan inscription, translated: “Homage to Sengge Gyaltsen!” Himalayan Art Resources item no.16806 3 1/8 in. (8 cm) high

$6,000 - 8,000

西藏十四/十五世紀僧格堅贊銅像 Almost every inch of this miniature bronze has been beautifully chased. The monastic robes are patterned with rabbits, birds, and deer enclosed in quatrefoils, surrounded by floral sprays and geometric grounds. Identified by inscription, Sengge Gyaltsen (14th/15th century) was a Tibetan Buddhist teacher for the Kadam and Sakya traditions. Considered by some to be a reincarnation of Dromton Gyalwa’I Jungne (1005-1064), Sengge Gyaltsen transmitted the Kalachakra teachings to Khedrup Gelek Pelzang (1385-1438), who was instrumental in establishing the Gelug order of Tibetan Buddhism led by the Dalai Lama.

His portrait, slender physique, and robes are like several other bronzes of Sengge Gyaltsen, including one in the collection of the Rubin Museum of Art (HAR 65475), one formerly in the Nyingjei Lam Collection and sold at Sotheby’s, Hong Kong, 3 October 2017, lot 3110, and two others sold at Bonhams, New York, 14 March 2017, lots 3283 & 3284. Provenance The Nyingjei Lam Collection On loan to the Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 2013 – 2019

602 602 (reverse)

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603A SILVER AND COPPER INLAID COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF SONAM TSEMOTIBET, 15TH CENTURY A Tibetan inscription along the bottom rim of the lotus base, translated: “Om svasti! This statue of Lobpon Rinpoche [Sonam Tsemo], for parents mainly, and all sentient beings, was created by the family in order to obtain Buddhahood. May the results of cause and effect be realized. Mangalam!” Himalayan Art Resources item no.68307 5 1/2 in. (14 cm) high

$20,000 - 30,000

西藏十五世紀錯銀錯紅銅索南孜摩銅像 Sonam Tsemo (1142-82) was the son of Sachen Kunga Nyingpo and the second of The Five Founding Fathers of the Sakya order (Sakya Jetsun Gongma Nga). He was the fourth to hold the office of Sakya Trizin (‘Throneholder’). Following his father’s death, Tsemo’s education at Kadam monasteries helped inform the monastic structure adopted by the Sakya school.

Sonam Tsemo is commonly depicted wearing the thick outer cloak of a layman, with bunching folds around his biceps as he raises his hands to forward the Dharma. Compare his physiognomy, especially the treatment of his hair, to another portrait of this master within a Sakya lineage set at Ngor Monastery published in von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, Vol.II, Hong Kong, 2003, p.1213, no.333E. Also see Bonhams, New York, 14 March 2017, lot 3260. Exhibited The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet: Buddhist Art in the Nyingjei Lam Collection, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 6 October – 30 December 1999. What Is It? Himalayan Art, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 27 October 2005 – 14 June 2010. Casting the Divine: Sculptures of the Nyingjei Lam Collection, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 2 March 2012 – 11 February 2013. Provenance Sotheby’s, New York, 18 December 1981, lot 213 The Nyingjei Lam Collection On loan to the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 1996 – 2005 On loan to the Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 2005 – 2019

603 603 (reverse)


604A SILVER AND COPPER INLAID BRASS FIGURE OF MAITREYANORTHEASTERN INDIA, PALA PERIOD, CIRCA 12TH CENTURY Himalayan Art Resources item no.68420 3 5/8 in. (9.3 cm) high

$40,000 - 60,000

印度東北部帕拉時期約十二世紀錯銀錯紅銅彌勒菩薩銅像 Identified by the water pot emerging from a lotus flower to his left shoulder, Maitreya, the Future Buddha, smiles at the viewer benevolently. He is richly adorned with silver and copper inlaid regalia, which does not distract from his silver inlaid gaze. Modeled with naturalism, the sensuous figure is emblematic of Indian bronze sculpture produced in the late Pala period (11th/12th centuries). Weldon and Casey Singer argue that the placement of this figure’s left hand on his knee, rather than having a more convincing lean on the lotus base, differs from a true Pala rendition and indicates the sculpture is a contemporaneous Tibetan iteration of the Pala style (Weldon & Casey Singer, The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet, London, 1999, p.57). However, this figure was possibly part of a triad initially and numerous Pala triads show that the two side figures may vary in posture from how they might appear as a central subject (cf. von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, Vol. 1, Hong Kong, 2001, pp.262 & 271, nos.83A & 87B). A Pala figure of Maitreya preserved in the Capital Museum in Beijing is also seated in a similar posture of royal ease with his left hand upon the knee and another sold Christie’s, New York, 20 March 2012, lot 80. Moreover, Maitreya’s tall chignon, face, fleshy waist, and plump toes all exhibit Pala idioms. For comparison, see a Pala bronze Maitreya formerly in the John and Berthe Ford Collection (Pal, Desire and Devotion, Baltimore, 2001, pp.106-7, no.43), and another formerly in the Lahiri Collection (Christie’s, New York, 15 March 2016, lot 59). Also, the intricate use of silver and copper inlay on a figure of this size is more common within the Indian tradition, while Tibetan adaptations tend to be more rudimentary. Furthermore, the modeling of the sculpture in the round is considerably less common in Tibetan copies. Published David Weldon and Jane Casey Singer, The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet: Buddhist Art in the Nyingjei Lam Collection, London, 1999, p.55 & 57, fig.18. F. Ricca, Arte Buddhista Tibetana: Dei e Demoni dell’ Himalaya, Turin, 2004, fig.IV.22. Exhibited The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet: Buddhist Art in the Nyingjei Lam Collection, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 6 October – 30 December 1999. Arte Buddhista Tibetana: Dei e Demoni dell’ Himalaya, Palazzo Bricherasio, Turin, June – September 2004. Casting the Divine: Sculptures of the Nyingjei Lam Collection, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 2 March 2012 – 11 February 2013. Provenance The Nyingjei Lam Collection On loan to the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 1996 – 2005 On loan to the Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 2005 – 2019

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605A BRASS FIGURE OF MAITREYANORTHEASTERN INDIA, PALA PERIOD, 11TH/12TH CENTURY Himalayan Art Resources item no.16816 3 5/8 in. (9.2 cm) high

$60,000 - 80,000

印度東北部帕拉時期十一/十二世紀彌勒菩薩銅像 The stupa nestled within his headdress and the kundika by his left shoulder identify this figure as the Future Buddha, Maitreya. Maitreya is considered the embodiment of perfected loving kindness. He preaches in his heavenly abode until it is time to usher in the enlightened salvation of all beings. Visually alluding to this, the bronze depicts him seated in a graceful posture of ease (lalitasana) with his hands brought together in a mudra that signifies ‘Furthering the Dharma’ and prompts lotus flowers to bloom by his shoulders. Rising from murky waters, the lotus is a symbol of every being’s ability to achieve nirvana regardless of their past. Whereas most Pala sculptures typically depict bodhisattvas wearing crowns and jewelry, in their absence here, the artist emphasizes the youthful physique and inherent grace of the deified being. The convention is not without precedent, also seen in a closely related bronze Maitreya currently missing from the Bodh Gaya Museum, published in Roy, Eastern Indian Bronzes, New Delhi, 1986, no.233a. The two sculptures also share similar chignons, sinuous lotus stalks, and plump lotus bases, while the present lot has a glossy, unexcavated patina that indicates it was carried to Tibet in antiquity. A third Maitreya of similar style, but with the addition of flowing ribbons by the ears, is preserved in the British Museum (von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, p.283, no.69D). And for a stylistic comparison of the lotus base, see a Tara in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (1987.142.346). Published Amy Heller, “Buddhist Art in the Himalayas and Tibet”, in Schulenberg et al., Buddha: 108 Encounters, Köln, 2015, p.81, fig.5. Provenance Private Swiss Collection since 2009

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606A SILVER AND COPPER INLAID BRASS FIGURE OF SITATARANORTHEASTERN INDIA, PALA PERIOD, 10TH/11TH CENTURY Himalayan Art Resources item no.16836 4 in. (10.1 cm) high

$80,000 - 120,000

印度東北部帕拉時期十/十一世紀錯銀錯紅銅白度母銅像 Considered a Buddha, Tara is the most popular female deity in Mahayana and Tantric Buddhism. Her name in Sanskrit means ‘Savioress’, and Tara can be worshipped for everyday blessings as well as spiritual transcendence. Here, she is depicted in her most prominent form, known as Sitatara (or White Tara), in which she bestows good health and longevity on her followers. Her seven eyes–three on her face, two on her palms, and two on the soles of her feet–symbolize the goddess’s compassionate monitoring of, and engagement with, the mortal realm. Cast in the Pala style, this elegant figure reflects Indian art’s heralded sensuousness. The goddess gently leans to the left while extending her right hand, forming an elegant seated posture that accentuates the silhouette of her full breasts and supple waist. The necklace and sacred thread made of silver and copper inlay lead the eye across Sitatara’s voluptuous body. Such lavish use of silver and copper inlay distinguishes finer Pala bronzes from the rank and file. A standing Sitatara from Kurkihar, attributed to the late 10th century, provides a basis for dating the present work (Roy, Eastern Indian Bronzes, New Delhi, 1986, no.183a). Particularly telling among the numerous stylistic similarities are its physique, physiognomy, tall and pointed armbands, and crown with widely-spaced small triangular leaves. The short and plump lotus petals of their bases are also identical. Another silver and copper inlaid bronze figure of Prajnaparamita, attributed to the 11th century, is closely related to the present Sitatara (see Grewenig & Rist (eds.), Buddha: 2000 Years of Buddhist Art, Völklingen, 2016, pp.116-7, no.33). Note the similarities of facial type, as well as the treatment of armbands, bangles, belt, and lotus base. Provenance Collection FKH, USA, since 2005

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607A BRASS FIGURE OF MANJUSHRI NAMASANGITIKURKIHAR, NORTHEASTERN INDIA, 12TH CENTURY Himalayan Art Resources item no.66735 4 3/4 in. (12.1 cm) high

$50,000 - 70,000

庫基哈爾印度東北部十二世紀四臂文殊菩薩銅像 This rare four-armed form of Manjushri derives from the Arya Manjushri Namasangiti Tantra (‘Singing the Names of Manjushri’), a major teaching dating from around the 7th century that conceives of Manjushri as the spiritual progenitor of all Tathagatas and the entire Buddhist cosmos. Manjushri Namasangiti’s many arms convey his cosmic status, cast in a naturalistic array. He holds a scripture before his chest, and a sword, a bow, and an arrow (missing), weapons that symbolize the scripture’s ability to penetrate ignorance. Stylistically, the bronze shares its distinctive flat lotus petals, physique, physiognomy, and beaded jewelry with a two-armed bronze of Manjushri from the 12th century, excavated from Kurkihar in Northeastern India (Sharma, The Heritage of Buddhist Pala Art, New Delhi, 2018, p.183, fig.124). However, unlike it, the present bronze has a glossy, unexcavated patina and remains of cold gold in the face and lapis in the hair which indicates it was carried to Tibet in antiquity. Kurkihar was an important monastic site, where a large cache of bronzes was discovered in 1930 and now populate the Patna Museum, Bihar. Art historically, Kurkihar rose to prominence in the 10th-to-12th centuries, as Nalanda waned. It was also at this time that religious developments lead to the flourishing of tantric, multiarmed deities in Pala art. (Compare a related bronze of Hevajra sold at Holly’s Auctions, Guangzhou, 27 May 2017, lot 1048 [HAR8735]). Two of the present sculpture’s stylistic details—its large-beaded necklace and the ‘rice-grain’ pattern in its lower garment—draw exciting links with roughly contemporaneous sculpture of Nepal and the Khasa Malla Kingdom, known to have borrowed elements from Pala art. For example, see a gilt bronze figure of Yogambara from Nepal, circa 13th century, sold at Bonhams, New York, 17 March 2014, lot 5. Provenance Astamangala Gallery, Amsterdam, 2007 Private Swiss Collection

607 (reverse)

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608A BRASS FIGURE OF AVALOKITESHVARA PADMAPANINORTH INDIA, HIMACHAL PRADESH, 11TH/12TH CENTURY 7 1/4 in. (18.5 cm) high

$20,000 - 30,000

印度北部喜馬偕爾邦十一/十二世紀蓮華手觀音銅像 Bordering Kashmir, the artists of Himachal Pradesh responded to burgeoning demand from West Tibet in the 11th and 12th centuries for Buddhist bronzes. This svelte Avalokiteshvara with a lustrous patina is one such example. A distinctive feature of Himachal bronzes from this time is its prominent sash, which is attached to the headdress and forms a big loop in front of the bodhisattva’s shins. This is repeated in many contemporaneous Brahmanical images from Himachal Pradesh, such as von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, pp.144-151, nos.24D, 25E, 26C, F, G, and 27B, D. Also see a closely related example in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, published as West Tibetan in 1990 (Pal, Art of Tibet, Los Angeles, 1990, p.197, no.S7), but now attributed to Himachal Pradesh. Provenance Ex-Private German Collection, acquired between 1955-1987 (published in 1987)

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609A POLYCHROMED WOOD TORANA WITH TWELVE BODHISATTVASTIBET, CIRCA 13TH CENTURY Himalayan Art Resources item no.16834 32 in. (81.3 cm) high

$30,000 - 50,000

西藏約十三世紀木質彩繪十二菩薩陀蘭納門 This intricately carved wood torana serves as a backdrop for a standing Buddha or bodhisattva sculpture. The composition has a flame border and is populated by twelve bodhisattvas seated in alcoves. The surround of the plain central throne back is decorated with an iconographic formula known as ‘The Six Ornaments’ interspersed with meandering swells of vegetation. This formula generally comprises—from top to bottom—pairs of elephants, followed by mythical lions, horses or kinnaras (the latter in this case), sarabhas (a small boy riding a flying horse), makaras, nagas, and a garuda at the apex. Remarkably preserved, the torana is one of few objects of its kind to has survived to this day, making it extremely rare.

Traces of red, black, and blue pigment, remain, as well as a delightful speckled pattern on the makaras. The style of the intertwined vegetal curlicues and flame border are exemplary of master Newari woodcarvers who were trained in the Pala Buddhist art of Northeastern India and instrumental in its transfer to Tibetan monasteries in the 13th century. Compare the palette and low-relief carving of the vegetal sprays in a circa 13th-century wood manuscript cover published in Rossi & Rossi, Early Tibetan Manuscript Covers, London, 1996, no.14). Similar treatment of ‘The Six Ornament’ design can be observed in 13th-century thangkas of Tathagatas held by American museums (HAR 101355, 101356 & 101357). And a roughly contemporaneous torana, albeit modest by contrast to the present lot, stands behind a wood sculpture of Pagpa Lokeshvara in the Museum Rietberg, Zurich (von Schroeder-Imhof, Schritte zur Erkenntnis, Zurich, 2006, pp.68-9, no.14). Provenance Private West Coast collection since 1980’s


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610A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF MANJUSHRITIBET, 13TH/14TH CENTURY Himalayan Art Resources item no.68442 2 1/2 in. (6.3 cm) high

$15,000 - 20,000

西藏十三/十四世紀銅鎏金文殊菩薩像 Of miniature stature, this figure of Manjushri is superbly modeled and detailed. The Bodhisattva of Transcendental Wisdom has a robust, young body sumptuously adorned with turquoise-inset regalia. The floral patterns incised on his lower garment are redolent of the sizable lotus flowering with a sutra by his left shoulder. Consecrated in the Tibetan manner, this bronze was likely commissioned by a Tibetan patron. However, the deity’s broad forehead, sensuous body, and the application of black and red pigments at the back indicate the involvement of a Newari artist. See a slightly larger figure of Manjushri sold at Bonhams, New York, 13 March 2017, lot 3069, and a related figure of Vajrasattva sold at Sotheby’s, London, 23 July 1984, lot 35.

Published David Weldon and Jane Casey Singer, The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet: Buddhist Art in the Nyingjei Lam Collection, London, 1999, fig.44, p.72. F. Ricca, Arte Buddhista Tibetana: Dei e Demoni dell’ Himalaya, Turin, 2004, fig.IV.41. K. Debreczeny, “Wutai Shan: Pilgrimage to Five-Peak Mountain”, in Journal of the International Association of Tibetan Studies, Issue 6 (December 2011), cat.24. Exhibited The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet: Buddhist Art in the Nyingjei Lam Collection, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 6 October – 30 December 1999. Arte Buddhista Tibetana: Dei e Demoni dell’ Himalaya, Palazzo Bricherasio, Turin, June – September 2004. Wutaishan: Pilgrimage to Five Peak Mountain, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 10 May – 16 October 2007. Casting the Divine: Sculptures of the Nyingjei Lam Collection, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 2 March 2012 – 11 February 2013. Provenance The Nyingjei Lam Collection On loan to the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 1996 – 2005 On loan to the Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 2005 – 2019

610

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611A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF BUDDHA VAJRASANANEPAL, EARLY MALLA PERIOD, 13TH CENTURY Himalayan Art Resources item no.16803 6 5/8 in. (16.8 cm) high

$100,000 - 150,000

尼泊爾馬拉王朝早期十三世紀銅鎏金金剛座佛陀像 This flawless gilt bronze recalls the moment of Shakyamuni’s enlightenment. His gaze transfixed in meditation, he extends his right index finger down to beseech the Earth’s testimony to his enlightenment. The small vajra placed before his ankles makes mnemonic reference to Shakyamuni’s ‘vajra seat’ (vajrasana): the very site of his accomplishment, which is enshrined at the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya, Northeastern India. Beautifully modeled and finely chased, the bronze is gilded with a warm hue over a copper-rich brown surface. It is a classic example of the exceptional quality produced by Newari master craftsmen from Nepal in the Early Malla Period (13th-15th century). The Newars adapted the basic iconography of Northeastern Indian Buddha images, depicting the Buddha with a broader, more nourished physique, elaborating on the fishtail pleat of Buddha’s robe and placing higher over his left shoulder, and adding a decorative hem over the left bicep. (This can be gleaned from contrasting 10th-century Northeastern Indian bronzes in Roy, Eastern Indian Bronzes, New Delhi, 1986, nos.217-21 with Newari bronzes in Pal, Desire and Devotion, Baltimore, 2001, pp.284-5, no.163, and sold at Bonhams, New York, 18 September 2013, lot 8.) Other Newari features presented by this bronze are the Buddha’s delightfully modeled toes and the ‘rice-grain’ pattern incised along the detailed hems. The construction of the sculpture’s base—made by joining separately cast top and bottom rows of lotus petals at a deeply recessed waist—is another enduring feature of Nepalese bronzes. Renown throughout the Buddhist world, Newari masters of the Early Malla Period produced bronzes for both domestic and foreign patrons, as showcased by similar examples published in von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculpture in Tibet, Vol.I, Hong Kong, 2001, pp.522-523, no.170c & Vol. II, pp.962-3, no.231C). Though of quaint scale, this bronze stands as a perfect testament to why the works of Newari master craftsmen are so revered for their quality and character. Provenance Private Swiss Collection since 2007

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612A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF GREEN TARANEPAL, 14TH/15TH CENTURY Himalayan Art Resources item no.16817 5 3/8 in. (13.7 cm) high

$40,000 - 60,000

尼泊爾十四/十五世紀銅鎏金綠度母像 Appearing as a supple young woman seated in ‘royal ease’ with her mudras conveying generosity and spiritual teaching, this finely cast gilt bronze depicts one of the most beautiful representations of the female bodhisattva, Tara. According to myth, Tara was born from a lotus bud arising from a tear of compassion shed by Avalokiteshvara. She is worshipped as a liberator, able to free devotees from the chain of birth and rebirth, and all the suffering that ensues. In the present iconography, she is represented in a form known as Green Tara, emphasizing Tara’s protection from The Eight Great Dangers. This delicate casting of Green Tara would have been produced by a Newari master craftsman for a Tibetan patron. Stylistic details that betray a Newari’s hand include the full, rounded plasticity of the figure, the finely engraved patterns within her lower garment, and the crisp petals and deeply recessed waist of the lotus base from which the sensuous goddess blooms. Meanwhile, the remnants of a consecration plate, inlay, and the inclusion of inset lapis and turquoise indicate Tibetan religious and stylistic preferences. The figure’s physiognomy and graceful bearing resemble a bronze of White Tara formerly in the Alsdorf Collection (von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, p.428, no.112A), and a Green Tara sold at Poly Auction, Beijing, 7 December 2016, lot 6962. See Bonhams, New York, 13 March 2017, lot 3034 for a similar treatment of the lotus base. The present sculpture also compares favorably with another 14th-century Green Tara with a similar crown, lotus flowers, and deeply recessed base published in Grewenig & Rist (eds.), Buddha: 2000 Years of Buddhist Art, Völklingen, 2016, p.436, no.191. Another close comparison is a silver sculpture in the Rubin Museum of Art, New York (HAR 65468), which is clearly made after the same model. Provenance Swiss Private Collection since 2009

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613A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF MANJUSHRINEPAL, 14TH CENTURY Himalayan Art Resources item no.16818 4 3/8 in. (11 cm) high

$10,000 - 15,000

尼泊爾十四世紀銅鎏金文殊菩薩像 Identified by the sword and sutra by each shoulder, Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of Perfected Wisdom, smiles while slightly tilting his head. An unusual stylistic feature is the placement of his sacred thread, here hanging down from the bodhisattva’s right shoulder, while in most Buddhist images it is seen on the left. Another example is a 14th-century gilt-bronze Maitreya or Manjushri in Drigung Monastery (von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculpture in Tibet, Vol. II, Hong Kong, 2001, pp.1032-3, no.256D-E). Compare with a closely related Manjushri published in von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, p.376, no.100C. Provenance Private Swiss Collection since 2007


614A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF MANJUSHRINEPAL, 14TH CENTURY Himalayan Art Resources item no.16807 6 7/8 in. (17.5 cm) high

$35,000 - 45,000

尼泊爾十四世紀銅鎏金文殊菩薩像 This thickly cast gilded bronze depicts Manjushri with his hands raised in the gesture of ‘Furthering the Dharma’. From this action spring two lotuses that bloom at his shoulders and bear a sutra and a wisdom sword, which has the power to cut through ignorance.

The figure’s smooth, golden skin and swelled physique counterbalance the angular detail of his regalia. Several stylistic factors indicate the hand of a 14th-century Nepalese craftsman likely working in Tibet. Chief among them is the artist’s choice of modeling a lightly-clad, well-nourished physique, emphasizing a display of the young bodhisattva’s robust limbs more than the textiles that cover them. Moreover, the crown type—a multitiered Vajracharya crown—is a type worn by a Nepalese priesthood. However, the bronze’s tall lotus base is built to accommodate the Tibetan practice of consecrating sculptures. The base’s bulbous lotus petals are redolent of the Pala style and help to inform a date of no later than a century or two after the widespread ruin of Pala monasteries in the early 13th century. Provenance Private German Collection Nagel Auktionen, Stuttgart, 8 May 2014, lot 46

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615A SILVER INLAID GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF MANJUSHRINEPAL, 14TH CENTURY Himalayan Art Resources item no.16815 4 3/4 in. (12.2 cm) high

$60,000 - 80,000

尼泊爾十四世紀銅錯銀鎏金文殊菩薩像 Manjushri is one of the most important and popularly invoked bodhisattvas in Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. The Bodhisattva of Perfected Wisdom is represented here in a gem-like gilded image. Holding his hands in the teaching mudra, he gently looks down and enters a state of meditation, while a slight contrapuntal sway of his head and torso adds a sense of immediacy. His sword and sutra emerge from two prominent lotus flowers by his shoulders forming a wing-like silhouette, highlighting the bodhisattva’s transcendent nature. The sculpting of the figure’s powerful yet supple physique and the exquisite detailing of his regalia are hallmarks of Newari master craftsmen from the Kathmandu Valley working for Tibetan patrons. His robust body type and broad forehead conform to classic Nepalese aesthetics, as does the compressed lotus base with plump petals. His necklace, armbands, and earrings, bedecked with inset stones and silver inlay, are remarkably elaborate for a sculpture of this scale. A larger gilt bronze Manjushri in the Capital Museum, Beijing is stylistically related to the present work (Capital Museum, The Goddess of Mercy in Buddhism, Beijing, 2008, pp.198-9, no.9). The two figures are similar in their robust body and facial type, and wear almost identical ear ornaments–each consisting of a diamond-shaped pendant and an upswept tassel inset with semi-precious stones. They also share the same type of dhoti with incised floral patterns around the knee and rice-grain design within the hem. A 14th-century Amitayus in the Collection of Harish K. Patel has almost identical armbands and crown (see Hall (ed.), Tibet: Tradition and Change, Albuquerque, 1997, pp.84-5, pl.42a). Also compare the lotus base and the down swept lotus petals supporting the sutra by his shoulder to another Manjushri published in von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, p.376, no.100C. Provenance Private Swiss Collection since 2009

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616A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF MAITREYAKHASA MALLA, 13TH/14TH CENTURY Himalayan Art Resources item no.16802 12 1/2 in. (31.8 cm) high

$400,000 - 600,000

卡薩馬拉王朝十三/十四世紀銅鎏金彌勒菩薩像 This magnificent gilt bronze sculpture of Maitreya, The Future Buddha, originates from the enigmatic Khasa Malla kingdom, which ruled the Karnali Basin of western Nepal and part of western Tibet between the 12th and 14th centuries. The bronze is quite exceptional, not only for its size, being larger than most identified Khasa Malla bronzes, but also for its clear refinement and beauty. Maitreya, whose name derives from the Sanskrit word ‘maitri’, meaning ‘benevolence’ or ‘loving kindness’, is shown seated here in lalitasana—a relaxed posture of ease—one leg folded and the other pendant, while he leans on his left wrist. Despite his languid pose, his toes remain flexed, which is a delightful detail that signals the bodhisattva remains alert from his celestial abode to the suffering of others. With a puckered smile, he raises his right hand in abhaya mudra to reassure his followers. From the sculpture’s base rise two exquisitely modeled lotuses in bloom by his shoulders, the left supporting a kundika vase. The vase is an attribute used to identify Maitreya, along with the miniature stupa surmounting his tall chignon. Mastering both detail and form, the artist has created a resplendent gilded image with an elegant presence. Draped over the figure’s left shoulder is an antelope skin, which is a relatively uncommon iconographic feature for Maitreya in Tibetan art, more often seen in Nepalese and Mongolian sculpture (e.g. HAR 21853, 57205, 61523 & 65413). The deerskin’s diminutive size adds a sense of monumentality to the bodhisattva who wears it. Maitreya’s smooth, golden skin and shapely physique provide a perfect foil for his jewelry’s crisp definition. Lavish silks in the form of a short, pleated dhoti grace his thighs, incised with delicate patterns that attest to the artist’s dexterity.

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Despite the Khasa Malla kingdom being known to western scholars from historical records by the mid-20th century, it was not until 1994 that the first artwork was securely attributed to them. While researching an idiosyncratic gilt bronze goddess in the National Museum of Asian Art, Washington D.C. (1986.23M), Ian Alsop discovered the kingdom being mentioned by name in the inscription (see Alsop, “The Metal Sculpture of the Khasa Malla Kingdom” in Singer & Denwood (eds.), Tibetan Art, Towards a Definition of Style, London, 1997, pp.68-79). Since then a number of paintings and sculptures have been attributed to the Khasa Mallas, whose enthusiastic Buddhist patronage gave rise to a distinctive sculptural tradition of marked quality. The art of the Khasa Mallas took inspiration from its neighboring cultures, incorporating stylistic elements from the Kathmandu Valley, West Tibet, and Pala India. As the Khasa Mallas had close contact with the Newars in Kathmandu, influences from the Valley frequently prevail. For example, the present figure’s sensuous modeling and broad countenance are characteristic of the famed Newari ‘Standing Padmapanis’, such as one contemporaneous to the present sculpture, held by the Rubin Museum of Art (fig.1; C2005.16.8). Many stylistic details used to identify Khasa Malla bronzes are not exclusive to the kingdoms’ style, but their aggregation generally distinguishes them from other known artistic traditions. One notable Khasa Malla feature absent from the present bronze is a detailing of the figure’s knuckles. However, this bronze displays another strong Khasa Malla feature by the manner in which the sash fanning out before the ankles is cast on the base rather than the figure. Other typical characteristics are the base’s plain back and large beaded upper rim. In contrast to the Rubin Padmapani (fig.1), the present bronze exhibits the Khasa Malla’s predilection for fleshier faces and figures, further pronouncing the auspiciousness of a well-nourished being unencumbered by the harsh realities of mortal existence. Relaxed and awaiting his messianic charge, this perfectly cast apparition of The Future Buddha is a masterpiece of Khasa Malla sculpture. Provenance Chino Roncoroni Private Swiss Collection, acquired from the Paris Art Market, 2009

Fig.1 Bodhisattva AvalokiteshvaraNepal; 13th-14th centuryGilt copper alloy with semiprecious stone inlayRubin Museum of ArtC2005.16.8 (HAR 65430)

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617A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF BUDDHANEPAL, 14TH CENTURY Himalayan Art Resources item no.16814 5 1/8 in. (13 cm) high

$30,000 - 50,000

尼泊爾十四世紀銅鎏金佛陀像 This finely-detailed gilt bronze bears the hallmarks of Nepalese craftsmanship in the figure’s robust frame and broad features, his rounded ushnisha and lotus bud finial, and the rice grain-patterned hems of his robe. These hems have prominent borders consisting of large, raised beads, drawing attention to them. In a very rare feature, Shakyamuni has been clearly granted a fine, wavy incised mustache.

A very closely related example attributed to a Nepalese school working in Tibet is published in von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculpture in Tibet, Vol. II, Hong Kong, 2001, pp.962-3, no.231C. Its multi-tiered lotus base with tapered foot and double upper rims is almost identical with the present bronze. So are the well-articulated fingers and toes, the tightly-fitted robes, and exceptionally broad shoulders. Provenance Swiss Private Collection since 2007

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618A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF BUDDHATIBET OR NEPAL, CIRCA 14TH CENTURY Himalayan Art Resources item no.16813 12 3/8 in. (31.5 cm) high

$80,000 - 120,000

西藏或尼泊爾約十四世紀銅鎏金佛陀像 This sizable gilt bronze depicts Shakyamuni Buddha with a gentle downcast expression at the moment of his enlightened realization. His chest expands with yogic breath, adding to his generous silhouette. His hands are well-articulated, showing a slight webbing between his thumb and forefinger. This is one of a number of iconographic features of a supranatural being (mahalakshana) that the artist has emphasized, in addition to the three folds across his neck, the elongated earlobes, pronounced teardrop urna, and tall ushnisha surmounted by a wish-fulfilling gem (cintamani). Buddha sits rooted in a meditative posture above a resplendent lotus pedestal with a double band of petals fanning left and ran and completed in the round. This Buddha image belongs to a 13th-/14th-century group of bronzes that have at times been attributed to southern Tibet because of the blend of Nepalese and Tibetan stylistic preferences they exhibit (e.g. Pal, Desire and Devotion, London, 2001, pp.284-5, no.285). Such a blend is perhaps best exemplified by the present sculpture in its facial type, which has a broad Nepalese forehead without the accompanying fleshy cheeks. For example, compare with a circa 12th-century Nepalese Buddha sold at Sotheby’s, New York, 22 March 1989, lot 403. In the present sculpture, the emphasis placed on the beauty of Buddha’s corporeal form, wrapped in a sheer monastic garment with little patterning aside from the hems, is congruent with Nepalese bronzes of the Early Malla Period (13th-15th centuries). However, the tall lotus base was made for the Tibetan practice of consecrating bronzes. Yet, the red lacquer across its back is more commonly associated with worship in Nepal. Thus the attribution to southern Tibet seems appropriate, coupled with the fact that von Schroeder has published examples located in monasteries near Tibet’s southern border with Nepal (von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, Vol.II, Hong Kong, 2001, pp.958 & 962-3, nos. 229D & 231D). All the above-mentioned comparisons share the present bronze’s distinctive teardrop urna. Provenance Sotheby’s, New York, 26 March 2003, lot 48 Paris Art Market Private Swiss Collection

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619A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF GREEN TARANEPAL, 14TH CENTURY Himalayan Art Resources item no.16819 4 1/8 in. (10.5 cm) high

$10,000 - 15,000

尼泊爾十四世紀銅鎏金綠度母像 Highly revered in Nepal and Tibet, Green Tara, the spiritual counterpart of Avalokiteshvara, is invoked to dispel fear and danger. She is depicted here with a sweet and kind expression. Her physique is beautifully proportioned, with a high, rounded chest typical of the sculptural tradition of the Kathmandu Valley. Whereas many bronzes of Green Tara represent her bare-chested, here she is covered by a diaphanous shawl stippled with patterns. This figure compares favorably to another Green Tara with similar armbands, lotus leaves, and additional belt loosely draped around her waist (Smith & Singer, Sydney, 17 July 2019, lot 33). Provenance Private Swiss Collection

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620A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF THE CONFESSION BUDDHA SUVIKRANTATIBET, CIRCA 17TH CENTURY A Tibetan inscription at the back of the base identifying the figure as Suvikranta, one of the Thirty-Five Buddhas of Confession. Himalayan Art Resources item no.13067 9 3/4 in. (24.7 cm) high

$60,000 - 80,000

西藏約十七世紀銅鎏金善游步功德佛像 Confession is a basic component of many Buddhist liturgies, rooted in the view that the burden of unvirtuous deeds is lessened through their acknowledgment. In Mahayana confessional rituals, one chants the names of the Thirty-Five Buddhas of Confession and makes offerings before their images. This bronze depicts one such Confession Buddha, Suvikranta, who would have held a sword in his upraised right hand, according to a vision of Je Tsongkapa (1357-1419), founder of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. Known from the Mahayana “Sutra of the Three Heaps” (Triskandhadharmasutra), the Thirty-Five Confession Buddhas help devotees transcend their sin. The artist was clearly informed by the early Nepalese style of the Licchavi period (c.400-750 CE), which was in turn influenced by Gupta images from Sarnath. Here Buddha’s face, for example, echoes the beaked nose, full and protruding lips, and introspection typical of Licchavi bronzes. Also, the plain, curved base below the figure, as suggested by Weldon and Casey Singer while discussing a comparable figure of Maitreya, “is another reference to Licchavi models, which are often cast to include a low support designed to allow attachment to a separate lotus pedestal.” (Weldon & Casey Singer, The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet, London, 1999, p.120). While inspired by a Nepalese tradition, the bronze was almost certainly commissioned in Tibet, which is known to have embarked on an artistic revival of earlier styles in the 17th century including Taranatha’s (1575-1634) restoration of Pala-style murals at the Jonang Puntsog Ling. Two other bronzes, closely related in style and of similar size, are almost certainly from the same set of Thirty-Five Confession Buddhas as this sculpture. One is preserved in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, published in Pal, Art of Nepal, Los Angeles, 1985, p.117, no.S38; the other sold at Sotheby’s, New York, 24 September 1997, lot 94. All three bronzes are finely modeled displaying smooth contours with close-fitting pleated robes, elegant hands, and tight, detailed curls of hair. Provenance Private Swiss Collection Sotheby’s, New York, 21 September 2007, lot 45 Private Hong Kong Collection Sotheby’s, New York, 16 March 2016, lot 726 Collection FKH, USA

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621A SILVER INLAID GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF AMITAYUSNEPAL, CIRCA 14TH CENTURY Himalayan Art Resources item no.16811 4 7/8 in. (12.3 cm) high

$40,000 - 60,000

尼泊爾約十四世紀銅錯銀鎏金無量壽佛像 Amitayus, The Buddha of Long-Life, is shown here richly adorned with inset-gem regalia across his broad frame. With a benevolent expression, he gently looks down, directing one’s attention to the elixir of life within the elaborate vase held in his lap. His long tresses elegantly curl around his shoulders. Stylistically, the broad form, rice-grain-patterned hems, and the compressed base are features common to Nepal, and might indicate the bronze was produced for the Khasa Mallas. See a gilt bronze Saravid Vairocana, with almost identical necklace, armbands, and lotus petals, sold at Bonhams, New York, 13 March 2017, lot 3071. Provenance Ex-Collection of Mr Bajracharya, Hong Kong, 1990

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622A COPPER INLAID COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF SONAM ZANGPOTSANG, CENTRAL TIBET, 15TH CENTURY A Tibetan inscription at the back of the lotus base, translated: “Pago Sonam Zangpo.” Himalayan Art Resources item no.68303 5 3/4 in. (14.6 cm) high

$40,000 - 60,000

藏中十五世紀錯紅銅索南桑波銅像 A distinctive feature of this uplifting portrait is the artist’s creative use of copper inlay alternating between the primary and secondary tiers of the base’s lotus petals—as well as to sections of the monastic robe. Two related 15th-century portrait bronzes immediately come to mind. One is a figure of Shalupa Sanggye Pelzang (Bonhams, New York, 14 March 2017, lot 3274). The other is a portrait of the Sakya lama Sonam Gyaltsen, which Rhie traced back to the Pelchor Chode, a Sakya enclave in Gyantse, Tsang Province, citing a host of other portrait sculptures there with this same feature (Rhie & Thurman, A Shrine for Tibet, New York, 2009, p.20, fig.5). Additionally, a portrait of Gayadhara (Bonhams, New York, 14 September 2015, lot 22) and a figure of Buddha (Bonhams, Hong Kong, 29 November 2016, lot 124) are two further 15th-century bronzes exhibiting this special use of copper inlay from Tsang. The bronze’s Tibetan inscription names its subject as Sonam Zangpo. Three historical figures from the 14th-15th-centuries share that name–the seventh abbot of Katok (1295-1357, Nyingma school), the abbot of Joden Gendungang (1341-1433, Jonang school), and the abbot of Densatil (1380-1416, Pagdru Kagyu school). Both the regional characteristics of this bronze and the fact that the Jonang school arose from the Sakya suggest the second is the most likely candidate: Joden Gendungang, Nyakpuwa Sonam Zangpo (1341-1433). The crossed mala held in both hands by this figure is a common attribute of Jonang teachers, further supporting this conclusion (cf. Bonhams, New York, 13 March 2017, lot 3093). Nyakpuwa Sonam Zangpo was a student of the Jonang school’s founder, Dolpopa Sherab Gyeltsen (1292-1361), and became a teacher of many great masters of the 15th century. Exhibited Casting the Divine: Sculptures of the Nyingjei Lam Collection, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 2 March 2012 – 11 February 2013. Provenance The Nyingjei Lam Collection On loan to the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 1996 – 2005 On loan to the Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 2005 – 2019

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623A SILVER AND COPPER INLAID BRASS FIGURE OF DRAKPA GYALTSEN TSANG, CENTRAL TIBET, 15TH CENTURY With two Tibetan inscriptions: the first on top of the lotus base, translated: “Homage to the scholar Drakpa Gyaltsen;” the second along the bottom rim of the base (translation below). Himalayan Art Resources item no.68488 8 3/8 in. (21.4 cm) high

$80,000 - 120,000

藏中十五世紀錯銀錯紅銅札巴堅贊銅像 Created with a lustrous brassy alloy and embellished with delicate patterns, this sculpture of Drakpa Gyaltsen (1147–1216) is among the finest portraits at this scale from the region of Tsang in Central Tibet. It is accompanied by a beautifully composed inscription along its foot rim, translated as follows: “We constantly pay homage and pray to Drakpa Gyaltsen, whose learning in all classes of tantras embraces all directions, and whose love sustains all living beings.” Drakpa Gyaltsen, the ‘throne-holder’ of Sakya monastery for 43 years, was a revered teacher and scholar of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism. He was the son of its founder, Sachen Kunga Nyingpo (1092–1158), who taught him from a young age. Instrumental to the lamdre teaching’s preservation, Drakpa Gyaltsen converted them from an oral tradition to a written one, recording his father’s commentaries, and extensively writing his own. The lamdre teachings are a potent tantric practice at the doctrinal core of the Sakya with the potential to bring about enlightenment in a single lifetime. Drakpa Gyaltsen had many prominent students, including the famous Sakya Pandita (1182–1251), who is immortalized in a closely related bronze portrait bronze in the Van Hoogstraten Collection (Pal, Tibet: Tradition and Change, Albuquerque, 1997, pp.48-9, pl.24). This portrait of Drakpa Gyaltsen has been cast and finished with consummate technical skill. The monastic robes are confidently displayed with naturalistic folds and chased hems of geometric and floral designs, suggestive of luxurious fabrics. The lozenges covering his chest appear throughout a dispersed Sakya lineage set, of which 18 are at Ngor Monastery (von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, Vol. II, Hong Kong, 2003, pp.1208-17, nos.331-335E). The treatment of their lotus bases is also very similar, indicating the present bronze is likely from the same workshop and period. Unlike the Ngor set, which portrays Drakpa Gyeltsen at an old age (ibid., pp.1214-5, no.334C), here he appears to be in his prime with the determined expression of a savant. Published David Weldon and Jane Casey Singer, The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet: Buddhist Art in the Nyingjei Lam Collection, London, 1999, pl.39, pp.170-1. F. Ricca, Arte Buddhista Tibetana: Dei e Demoni dell’ Himalaya, Turin, 2004, fig.IV.46. Exhibited The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet: Buddhist Art in the Nyingjei Lam Collection, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 6 October – 30 December 1999. Arte Buddhista Tibetana: Dei e Demoni dell’ Himalaya, Palazzo Bricherasio, Turin, June – September 2004. Stable as a Mountain: Gurus in Himalayan Art, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 13 March – 13 July 2009. Casting the Divine: Sculptures of the Nyingjei Lam Collection, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 2 March 2012 – 11 February 2013. Provenance The Nyingjei Lam Collection On loan to the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 1996 – 2005 On loan to the Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 2005 – 2019

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624A SILVER INLAID COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF A KAGYU HIERARCHTIBET, 13TH/14TH CENTURY Himalayan Art Resources item no.68484 4 1/4 in. (10.8 cm) high

$15,000 - 20,000

西藏十三/十四世紀銅錯銀噶舉上師像 While clearly a portrait of a Tibetan lama, this rather unique bronze departs from convention by affording its subject physical features of Shakyamuni Buddha. This includes the arrangement of the robe in ‘open mode’, the elongated earlobes, and the tiny cranial protuberance (ushnisha) on the top of the head. The portrait is almost certainly of an eminent hierarch from the early Kagyu orders which had a tradition of considering key figures as reincarnations of Shakyamuni, starting with the great Phagmodrupa (1110-70) (Dinwiddie (ed.), Portraits of the Masters, London, 2003, pp.132-3). This reading is consistent with the sculpture’s portrayal of a stout, brassy figure wrapped in a heavy meditation cloak with a rounded silhouette, as is frequented in early Kagyu portraits. For example, compare the following 12th-to-14th-century portraits of The First Gangkar Lama Dragpa’I Pel, of Lama Shang, and of another Kagyu lama formerly in the Nyingjei Lam Collection (Bonhams, New York, 14 March 2017, lot 3231 and Hong Kong, 29 November 2016, lots 103 & 116, respectively). Published David Weldon and Jane Casey Singer, The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet: Buddhist Art in the Nyingjei Lam Collection, London, 1999, pl.35, pp.162-3. F. Ricca, Arte Buddhista Tibetana: Dei e Demoni dell’ Himalaya, Turin, 2004, fig.IV.37. Exhibited The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet: Buddhist Art in the Nyingjei Lam Collection, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 6 October – 30 December 1999. Arte Buddhista Tibetana: Dei e Demoni dell’ Himalaya, Palazzo Bricherasio, Turin, June – September 2004. Casting the Divine: Sculptures of the Nyingjei Lam Collection, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 2 March 2012 – 11 February 2013. Provenance The Nyingjei Lam Collection On loan to the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 1996 – 2005 On loan to the Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 2005 – 2019

625A SILVER INLAID COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF A KAGYU LAMATIBET, CIRCA 14TH CENTURY Himalayan Art Resources item no.68466 2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm) high

$3,000 - 5,000

西藏約十四世紀銅錯銀噶舉喇嘛像 Its surface rubbed smooth from sustained propitiation, this small figure must have been treasured dearly as a personal icon. Clad in distinctive Kagyu robes, the lama’s eyes are inlaid with silver, suggesting his spiritual attainment. Compare a miniature portrait of Phagmodrupa sold at Bonhams, New York, 14 March 2017, lot 3232. Published David Weldon and Jane Casey Singer, The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet: Buddhist Art in the Nyingjei Lam Collection, London, 1999, p.130, fig.46. Exhibited The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet: Buddhist Art in the Nyingjei Lam Collection, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 6 October – 30 December 1999. Stable as a Mountain: Gurus in Himalayan Art, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 13 March – 13 July 2009. Casting the Divine: Sculptures of the Nyingjei Lam Collection, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 2 March 2012 – 11 February 2013. Provenance The Nyingjei Lam Collection On loan to the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 1996 – 2005 On loan to the Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 2005 – 2019

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626A PAIR OF SILVER AND GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURES OF THE SEVENTH KARMAPA CHODRAK GYATSO AND THE FOURTH SHARMAPA CHOKYI DRAKPATIBET, LATE 15TH/16TH CENTURY Tibetan inscriptions at the back of each figure’s lotus base, translated: “Homage to the glorious Karmapa Chodrak Gyatso!” and “Homage to Chokyi Drakpa who wears the long-eared red hat!” Himalayan Art Resources item nos.68493 & 68494 Karmapa: 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm) high; Sharmapa: 3 3/8 in. (8.6 cm) high

$100,000 - 150,000

西藏十五世紀末/十六世紀銀質銅鎏金第七世大寶法王確札嘉措與第四世夏瑪巴確吉札巴像 It is extremely rare to find silver portraits of such remarkable quality surviving in pairs. It is all the more satisfying here that each figure represents one of two complementary branches of the Karma Kagyu school’s leadership—made known thanks to the lasting red and black pigments on their hats. It is the Karmapa, wearing a black hat, who identifies the next incarnate Sharmapa, wearing a red hat, and the Sharmapa who identifies the next incarnate Karmapa. Seated on matching gilt-bronze lotus bases, the two hierarchs are flawlessly represented wearing chased silver garments that testify to the hand of a virtuoso. The two teachers are identified by their inscriptions as the Seventh Karmapa Chodrak Gyatso (1454-1506), and his student, the Fourth Sharmapa Chokyi Drakpa (1453-1524). The Seventh Karmapa is remembered for being a compassionate leader and an accomplished scholar. He is said to have brokered peace among local tribes in southern Tibet. The Seventh Karmapa also established seminaries at Tsurphu monastery and Chokhor Lhumpo, and authored important exegesis, including the Lamp of the Three Worlds, a commentary on Asanga’s Abhisamayalankara. Meanwhile, the Fourth Sharmapa was a primary disciple of the Seventh Karmapa and supervised Go Lotsawa Zhonupel (1392-1481), who authored The Blue Annals, a principal survey of Tibetan history.

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These two sculptures were likely commissioned by a student of the Fourth Sharmapa either during the Sharmapa’s lifetime or shortly thereafter. No other pieces from the same commission are known, which would otherwise indicate the pair are part of a larger lineage set. Further to the contrary, the artist has paired the two hierarchs with matching physiques, robes, and hand gestures (mudras). Silver is a rarer commodity considered more precious than gold in Tibet. In sculpture, it is generally used sparingly as inlay, rather than a figure being cast outright from the costly metal. However, silver sculptures were produced for wealthy patrons who wanted to stress their reverence for the subject and enhance the merit generated by their commission with more costly materials. Pairing a silver figure with a gilt-bronze base was also popular, a practice that was adopted early in the Himalayas by the Khasa Mallas, who ruled the Karnali Basin of western Nepal and part of western Tibet between the 12th and 14th centuries. In fact, the plump petals on these two sculptures, embellished with tiny engraved markings, appear to take inspiration from Khasa Malla sculpture. See a bronze Hevajra and a silver lama above a gilt-bronze base in Alsop, “The Metal Sculpture of the Khasa Malla Kingdom”, in Orientations: Art of Tibet, Hong Kong, 1998, p.165, fig.6 and von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures of the Alain Bordier Foundation, Hong Kong, 2010, pp.28-9, pl.11, respectively. Other examples of silver portraits on gilt-bronze lotus bases include a Padmasambhava in the Rubin Museum of Art (Collection Highlights, New York, 2014, pp.138-9), and a Sangye Chopa published in Grewenig & Rist (eds.), Buddha: 2000 Years of Buddhist Art,, Völklingen, 2016, p.456, no.201. Published David Weldon and Jane Casey Singer, The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet: Buddhist Art in the Nyingjei Lam Collection, London, 1999, pp.180-1, pls.44&44a. F. Ricca, Arte Buddhista Tibetana: Dei e Demoni dell’ Himalaya, Turin, 2004, figs.IV.57&58. Exhibited The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet: Buddhist Art in the Nyingjei Lam Collection, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 6 October – 30 December 1999. Arte Buddhista Tibetana: Dei e Demoni dell’ Himalaya, Palazzo Bricherasio, Turin, June – September 2004. Stable as a Mountain: Gurus in Himalayan Art, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 13 March – 13 July 2009. Lama, Patron, Artist: The Great Situ Panchen, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 13 March – 18 July 2010. Casting the Divine: Sculptures of the Nyingjei Lam Collection, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 2 March 2012 – 11 February 2013. Provenance The Collection of Mrs. James W. Alsdorf (Karmapa only) Sotheby’s, New York, 5 December 1992, lot 52 (Karmapa only) The Nyingjei Lam Collection On loan to the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 1996 – 2005 On loan to the Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 2005 – 2019

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627A SILVER FIGURE OF SACHEN KUNGA NYINGPOTIBET, CIRCA 16TH CENTURY A Tibetan inscription at the back of the base, translated: “Homage to the revered Sakya master!” Himalayan Art Resources item no.68467 2 3/8 in. (6.1 cm) high

$20,000 - 30,000

西藏約十六世紀薩欽貢嘎寧波銀像 Showing his characteristic haircut and facial features, this sweet gem of a miniature portrait can be firmly identified as Sachen Kunga Nyingpo. (Compare an inscribed portrait sold at Bonhams, New York, 14 March 2017, lot 3259.) Another small silver figure depicting Sonam Tsemo (1142-1182), the son of Kunga Nyingpo, is most likely from the same set (von Schroeder-Imhof, Schritte zur Erkenntnis, Zurich, 2006, p.92, no.27). Made of silver—more precious than gold in Tibet—Kunga Nyingpo’s monastic robes are modeled convincingly and embellished with incised cloud and floral patterns. Although technically the son of the founder of Sakya Monastery, Sachen Kunga Nyingpo (1034-1102) is considered the first of The Five Great Founders of the Sakya Order. He was an effective political leader as well as a tantric master. Kunga Nyingpo authored numerous significant scholarly works, especially on the Chakrasamvara Tantra and the lamdre tradition (lit. ‘Path with the Result’), which is at the doctrinal core of the Sakya.

Published David Weldon and Jane Casey Singer, The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet: Buddhist Art in the Nyingjei Lam Collection, London, 1999, fig.47, p.130. F. Ricca, Arte Buddhista Tibetana: Dei e Demoni dell’ Himalaya, Turin, 2004, fig.IV.60. Exhibited The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet: Buddhist Art in the Nyingjei Lam Collection, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 6 October – 30 December 1999. Arte Buddhista Tibetana: Dei e Demoni dell’ Himalaya, Palazzo Bricherasio, Turin, June – September 2004. Stable as a Mountain: Gurus in Himalayan Art, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 13 March – 13 July 2009. Casting the Divine: Sculptures of the Nyingjei Lam Collection, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 2 March 2012 – 11 February 2013. Provenance The Nyingjei Lam Collection On loan to the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 1996 – 2005 On loan to the Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 2005 – 2019

627 627 (reverse)


628A GOLD DAMASCENED IRON BOWL CASEDERGE, EASTERN TIBET, CIRCA 15TH CENTURY Together with an embroidered silk-lined cover. Himalayan Art Resources item no.16826 6 in. (15.5 cm) diam

$8,000 - 12,000

德格藏東約十五世紀鐵鋄金盒 This highly detailed case has an intricate openwork design depicting the long, sinuous body of a dragon undulating through dense vegetal waters and emerging skyward with its face at the center of the lid. The base has a central shou symbol. An embroidered silk-lined box cover, possibly original to the container, has survived with it. The workmanship is characteristic of decorative metalwork from Derge in Eastern Tibet, and its subject speaks to Derge’s proximity to China. Metal containers of this type were used by nomadic Tibetans to protect their treasured Chinese jade and porcelain bowls during travel. The fittings on either side allow for a leather strap to secure the container to a person or horse. Two closely related bowl cases were sold at Sotheby’s, New York, 20 March 2001, lots 144 & 145, and another is in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, (Chen (ed.), Splendid Accessories of Nomadic Peoples, Taipei, 2017). Provenance Private US Collection, acquired in 1990 Private Californian Collection

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629A GILT COPPER FIGURE OF CHAKRASAMVARANEPAL, 15TH/16TH CENTURY Himalayan Art Resources item no.16809 8 5/8 in. (22 cm) high

$200,000 - 300,000

尼泊爾十五/十六世紀銅鎏金勝樂金剛像 The vision of Twelve-armed Samvara in ecstatic, dance-like embrace with his consort Vajravarahi is one of the most exquisite subjects in Vajrayana Buddhist art. Meaning “Wheel of Bliss” in Sanskrit, the union of the two deities is known as Chakrasamvara, as represented in this near-complete example. The deities embody the attainment of the Highest Yoga Tantra tradition (Anuttarayoga Tantra) and Tibetan Buddhism’s supreme ideal: the skilled union of perfect wisdom (Vajravarahi) and compassion (Samvara). Rapturous Vajravarahi lunges towards her consort, swinging her right leg around his waist. Wide-eyed and with furrowed brows, they behold each other. Cradling her tightly in his primary arms, Samvara crosses the vajra and ghanta ritual implements within his hands. This gesture is known as the vajrahumkara mudra and further symbolizes the successful union of wisdom and compassion. The divine couple tramples recumbent figures under each foot in triumph.

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Being so complex, only the best artists were fit to undertake the challenge of casting Chakrasamvara. The task most often fell to Newari master craftsmen from Nepal who produced such sculptures for domestic and Tibetan worship. The stylistic preferences of each audience are somewhat slight. But, while many contemporaneous Tibetan examples emphasize the ferociousness of Chakrasamvara’s facial expressions, here instead, a benign intimacy is shared between the deities gazing into each other’s eyes. The sentiment betrays a preference in Nepal for showing divine couples in harmony, as representatives of ideal matrimony. Compare, for example, a Tibetan Hevajra and Chakrasamvara published in von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, Vol.II, Hong Kong, 2003, pp.1058 & 1061, nos.269A-B & 270B-C) with a Nepalese Kalachakra and Chakrasamvara published in Essen & Thingo, Die Gotter des Himlaya, Munich, 1989, p.147, no.II-318; and Huntington & Bangdel, Circle of Bliss, Columbus, 2003, pp.270-1, no.72, respectively. Another Nepalese characteristic of the bronze is the base’s relatively thin and sharp-petaled double-lotus band. This is replicated on a very closely related Two-armed Chakrasamvara in the British Museum (1921,0219.1), almost certainly from the same workshop as the present bronze. The sculpture survives from a refined artistic period in the Himalayas and is near-complete with its base and various implements present, missing only the elephant skin which would have been a thin sheet of metal drawn across Samvara’s back (and is commonly lost). Its absence, however, has the fortuitous effect of giving full view of the convincing modeling and balance of Samvara’s limbs. The base is bound by a modern red ‘protection cord’ which was added to the bronze when it was reconsecrated by monks of Drepung Loseling Monastery while under the present owner’s care. Provenance Henri and Dolores Kamer, New York Private Collection, USA, acquired from the above in the early 1990s

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630A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF TARASCHOOL OF SONAM GYALTSEN, CENTRAL TIBET, 15TH CENTURY Himalayan Art Resources item no.16824 7 1/2 in. (19.2 cm) high

$40,000 - 60,000

索南堅贊風格藏中十五世紀銅鎏金度母像 This delightful gilded sculpture of Tara depicts the peaceful bodhisattva with plump, well-defined fingers and toes, and her left hand sporting a turquoise-inset ring. Attesting to the sculpture’s quality of casting, even the back is sumptuously modelled with carefully arranged tresses that loop and knot all the way down Tara’s shoulders. Jeweled pendants of inset turquoise hang across her chest, back, and girdle. The sculpture’s sensitive and fluid modelling follow the tenets of Sonam Gyaltsen’s workshop, who was a master artist active in Shigaste in the second quarter of the 15th century. Hallmarks of Sonam Gyaltsen’s artistic tradition include the figure’s sensuous physique, the delightfully sinuous lotus stems, and the prominent fringe of curls beneath Tara’s crown. The shape and execution of Tara’s regalia are also characteristic of Sonam Gyaltsen’s style, consisting of five-lobed, pointed leaves inset with turquoise repeating throughout her crown, armbands, bracelets, and on the tassel before her ankles. However, suggesting this bronze is from the workshop and not the hand of Sonam Gylatsen are the slightly heavier treatment of the jewelry and the engraved patterns achieved by a different technique than what is quintessential for bronzes attributed to the master himself (cf. Bonhams, New York, 19 March 2018, lots 3033 & 3034). A good contemporaneous point of comparison for the bronze is a Tara which exhibits much of the same formal elements of the broad 15th-century style that Sonam Gyaltsen worked in, but are executed differently, as seen in the comparison’s more attenuated waist, heavier girdle, and different lotus petals (Grewenig & Rist (eds.), Buddha: 2000 Years of Buddhist Art, Völklingen, 2016, pp.470-1, no.209). Provenance Ex-Belgian Private Collection, 2018

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631A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF YELLOW JAMBHALAQING DYNASTY, 18TH/19TH CENTURY Himalayan Art Resources item no.16835 6 1/4 in. (16 cm) high

$4,000 - 6,000

清十八/十九世紀銅鎏金黃財神像 The wealth deity sits above the sun disk of a lotus, in a relaxed pose with his right foot resting on a vase of overflowing plenty. In his right hand he offers a boon. In his left hand he grasps a mongoose magically dispensing a jewel from its digestive tract. A similar example which also shows Yellow Jambhala seated above a single row of lotus petals combined with a rim of incised wavy lines that imitate the flower’s stamen is in the Alice S. Kandell Collection, published in Rhie & Thurman, A Shrine for Tibet, New York, 2009, pp.222-3, no.V-17. Provenance Private Colorado Collection, acquired 1970s/80s Private US Collection


632A THANGKA OF HAYAGRIVAQIANLONG PERIOD (1735-1796), YONGHEGONG STYLE Distemper on cloth Himalayan Art Resources item no.16833 9 1/4 x 6 7/8 in. (23.6 x 17.5 cm)

$8,000 - 12,000

乾隆時期（1735-1796）雍和宮風格馬頭明王唐卡 Hayagriva, who is recognizable from the horse heads emerging from his hair, is a popular protector deity who enjoys a special cult in the Nyingma order of Tibetan Buddhism. Presented in a cloud of dark smoke and flames, Hayagriva dominates this painting’s composition whilst joined by Amitabha, Padmasambhava, and Avalokiteshvara Shadaksari in the clouds, and a retinue of five protector deities in the terrain below.

The palette, composition, and prominent scale of the central deity (occupying more than half the image) are classic registers of paintings produced at Beijing’s Yonghegong temple. See two examples published in Qi, Beautiful Thangka Paintings in Yonghegong, Beijing, 2001, pp.82 & 88. The deities’ mouth, eyes, beard, and hair are done in the same fashion. Also compare the almost identical treatment of flames and clouds. Provenance The Collection of Guus Moorrees, USA, acquired in China at the beginning of the 20th century Ex-Estate of Louise Moorrees, USA

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633A GILT COPPER REPOUSSÉ CEREMONIAL NECKLACENEPAL, CIRCA 17TH CENTURY Himalayan Art Resources item no.16812 10 5/8 in. (27 cm) wide

$10,000 - 15,000

尼泊爾約十七世紀銅鎏金錘揲項鍊

This finely hammered collar depicts a four-armed deity, likely Manjushri Jnanasattva (see HAR 79070), amid well-articulated floral sprays. Nepalese ceremonial necklaces like the present lot could either be worn by a metal image of a deity or by a participant. A silver collar, dated 1676, in the Dallas Museum of Art (1987.470) shares a similar design of a series of foliate medallions flanking a central deity. The treatment of the flame borders is also a good point of comparison. A more elaborate example from the same period, in the Art Institute of Chicago, is published in Pal, Himalayas: An Aesthetic Adventure, Chicago, 2003, p.75, no.43. Also see Bégiun and Toffin, L’Art Newar de la vallee de Kathmandu, Paris, 1990, p.63. Provenance Ex-Collection of Mrs J. Taylor, UK, acquired 1970s

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634A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF VAJRABHAIRAVATIBET, 18TH CENTURY With cold gold and polychromy throughout the many faces and hair. Himalayan Art Resources item no.16808 7 1/2 in. (19 cm) high

$250,000 - 350,000

西藏十八世紀銅鎏金大威德金剛像 This dramatic gilded bronze shows Vajrabhairava lunging in a warrior’s pose while in interpenetrative congress with his consort, Vajravetali. Thirty-four of Vajrabhairava’s arms encircle him and his partner, brandishing ritual weapons and attributes that symbolize his skillful means. His sixteen legs trample a retinue of prostrate animals and Hindu gods, conveying his supremacy over the physical realms of existence. His central face—that of a ferocious bull—signifies his subjugation of Yama, the Lord of Death, and his triumph over the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Vajrabhairava’s superposed animal and anthropomorphic heads are well-modeled in this sculpture, with his enthralling primary face commanding the composition’s focal point. Vajrabhairava and his consort are clad in matching jeweled aprons and garlands of skulls and freshly severed heads. Vajravetali follows her consort’s stance, wrapping her left leg around his waist and grasping onto him with her head thrown back, her fiery hair flowing down to her waist. Vajrabhairava is a wrathful manifestation of Manjushri, the Great Bodhisattva of Wisdom, who takes this guise as a potent transformative teaching. The worship of Vajrabhairava enjoyed great popularity throughout Tibet, Mongolia, and China during the Qing dynasty. This was in large part due to Vajrabhairava being a primary yidam (transformative deity) of the Gelug monastic order who ascended power in Tibet and were sponsored by the Qing dynasty. The Qianlong Emperor himself (r.1733-1796) was also recognized as an earthly incarnation of Manjushri, Vajrabhairava’s spiritual sire. The present sculpture belongs to a group associated with foremost centers of power within the Qing Empire in the 18th century. Closely related examples, showing similar construction, regalia, and lotus pedestals have been attributed to Tashilunpo Monastery in Tibet (Bonhams, Hong Kong, 29 November 2016, lot 132), and are held within the imperial collections of Rehol Monastery, Chengde and the Qing Palace Collection, Beijing (Hsu, Buddhist Art from Rehol, Taipei, 1999, p.97, no.29, and Wang (ed.), Zangchuan Fojiao Zaoxiang, Hong Kong, 1992, p.92, no.64, respectively). Provenance Anthony P. Russo, by inheritance in 1994 Doyle, New York, 16 September 2008, lot 2043

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635A SCHIST PANEL WITH BUDDHAANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA, 2ND/3RD CENTURY 9 x 18 in. (23 x 45.8 cm)

$8,000 - 12,000

犍陀羅二/三世紀片岩佛陀石碑 Buddha has an elegant gait, walking beneath a pointed archway with two supplicant putti and grape clusters on either side. A panel with similar niches and supporting pillars with projecting brackets is in the British Museum (Zwalf, Gandharan Sculpture, London, 1990, p.227, no.403). Also compare Luczanits, Gandhara, Mainz, 2009, p.325, no.222. Lastly, another panel almost certainly from the same initial monument was sold at Sotheby’s, New York, 23 March 1995, lot 265. Provenance Private New York Collection by 1990s

636A STUCCO FIGURE OF AVALOKITESHVARAANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA, 4TH/5TH CENTURY With remains of red pigment. 21 in. (53.5 cm) high

$20,000 - 30,000

犍陀羅四/五世紀泥塑觀音像 From the renowned collection of Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck, this refined and largely complete stucco figure of a bodhisattva depicts Avalokiteshvara with his diagnostic lotus stem held by his left hand. Avalokiteshvara crouches on a large lotus flower, his feet pressed firmly on its petals to support his naturalistic pose. His face is elegantly modeled in three-quarters profile. With his attention turned to the left, this sculpture likely formed part of a common triad featuring Buddha flanked by the most prominent bodhisattvas in Gandharan Buddhism, Maitreya, and Avalokiteshvara. The remains of a similarly seated bodhisattva can be seen flanking a niched central figure at Jaulian Monastery, Taxila (Ingholt, Gandharan Art in Pakistan, New York, 1957, no.543). Also see a related stucco bodhisattva seated in meditation (ibid., no.542), and a similarly seated buddha in the British Museum (Zwalf, Gandharan Sculpture, London, 1990, p.310, no.587). Provenance The Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection Sotheby’s, New York, 4 June 1994, lot 64

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637A COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF BUDDHASRI LANKA, ANURADHAPURA PERIOD, 8TH CENTURY 3 in. (7.5 cm) high

$40,000 - 60,000

This rare and early Buddhist bronze from Sri Lanka’s Late Anuradhapura period (691-1017 CE) has elegant proportions and delightful facial features. His hands resting in his lap have well-modeled digits and his slender waist, underneath a sheer monastic garment, gives rise to broad shoulders. With almond-shaped eyes, high cheekbones, and a smile gently lifting the corners of his mouth, the Buddha is depicted in blissful meditation. A small flame elicits from the top of his head; a beacon of his enlightened mind, characteristic of Sri Lankan bronzes. The flame’s relatively diminutive size is a telling marker of the bronze’s 8th-century date, situating it on the earlier side of Late-Anuradhapura bronzes which were produced up until the early 11th century. Also telling are the absence of two stylistic developments that arise by the 8th century: a widow’s peak and a monastic shawl (sanghati) draped over the Buddha’s proper left shoulder (Listopad, Guardian of the Flame, Phoenix, 2003, pp.73-6). Later bronzes are more numerous and less nuanced, exhibiting a gradual trend towards the production of multiple iterations from the same molds (ibid., pp.75-6). Having a unique character and an attractive patination, this piece is a particularly handsome example which should be ranked among similar, renown versions, such as those in the Cleveland Museum of Art, the National Museum, Colombo, and arguably the finest in the Kronos Collection (see, von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures of Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, 1990, pp.189, 192 & 195, nos.46E, 48A & 49H, respectively). Provenance Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Richard C. Bull, Villanova, Pennsylvania Sotheby’s, New York, 6 December 1983, lot 278 Private West Coast Collection

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638WA COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF AN ARHATTHAILAND, AYUTTHAYA PERIOD, 16TH/17TH CENTURY With traces of black lacquer in recessed areas. 32 1/2 in. (83 cm) high

$50,000 - 70,000

泰國大城時期十六/十七世紀羅漢銅像 This rare bronze sculpture of an arhat depicts the monk seated in meditation with his right hand extending towards the ground to call on the Earth to bear witness to his enlightenment. An arhat in Theravada Buddhism, which predominates throughout Southeast Asia, represents the spiritual paradigm for ordinary beings to emulate. The highest spiritual goal for followers of Theravada Buddhism is to perfect Shakyamuni’s teachings over many lifetimes, which results in becoming an arhat: an enlightened being freed from the cycle of rebirth (parinirvana). Painting and sculpture of arhats frequent Thai temples. Their depiction largely imitates Buddha images, though without possessing certain key physical characteristics (lakshana) that distinguish Buddha as a supranatural being. As represented in this sculpture, these are the absence of Buddha’s elongated earlobes and his ushnisha (a cranial protuberance), which has been exchanged for a monastic tonsure. Additionally, the orientation of the arhat’s left hand is different from the Buddha’s. Rather than the back of the hand resting in his lap, it is turned frontally toward the viewer and would have supported a separately made eye screen (that would look like a long-handled fan), which is a meditative aid for blocking visual distractions. Stylistically, the arhat’s relatively slender face with low arched brows and pointed chin, the simple elegance of the plain robe hugging his proportions, and the sculpture’s brassy metallic composition are typical features of Ayutthaya sculpture between the 16th and 17th centuries. Compare the facial type with a 16th-century Crowned Buddha in the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore (Woodward, The Sacred Sculpture of Thailand, Baltimore, 1997, p.251, no.248). Very few Thai sculptures of arhats are published. See a 19th-century example formerly from the Collection of Doris Duke, published in Tingley, Doris Duke: The Southeast Asian Art Collection, New York, 2003, p.33, pl.10. Provenance Christie’s, Amsterdam, 19 November 1991, lot 22

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639


639WA WOOD FIGURE OF BUDDHAMYANMAR, PAGAN PERIOD, 12TH/13TH CENTURY With remains of red and gilt lacquer 64 3/4 in. (164.5 cm) high

$40,000 - 60,000

緬甸蒲甘王朝十二/十三世紀佛陀木像 This rare and life-size wood sculpture of Buddha depicts him standing with his left hand raised before his chest, holding the hem of his robe and his right hand down by his hip displaying the gesture of charity (varada mudra). The temple city of Pagan blossomed between the 11th and 13th centuries and is home to the densest concentration of Buddhist monuments in the world. Pagan’s emblematic wood standing buddhas are often carved with regalia, while the present example almost certainly had an affixed crown and necklace, probably of gilded copper. Compare a crowned example with similar pose, physique, broad physiognomy, and lotus base in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (1992.382). Provenance Private West Coast Collection, early 1980s Private US Collection

640A TERRACOTTA RELIEF OF SOMA (CHANDRA), THE MOON GODUTTAR PRADESH, GUPTA PERIOD, 6TH CENTURY Inscribed with two letters of late Brahmi (Gupta) script, “soma”, identifying the subject. 10 in. (25.5 cm) high

$6,000 - 8,000

北方邦笈多王朝六世紀陶質月神像

G. Bhattacharya dedicated an article to this terracotta relief, which he proposes is the earliest known image of the Hindu moon god, Soma (also known as Chandra). The pot-bellied deity is shown alert and attentive, holding a rosary and a water jug. His flexed toes, well-nourished physique, and elaborate curls are idiomatic of Gupta-period sculpture in terracotta. Compare other panels with differing subjects in the Brooklyn Museum of Art (73.124 & 1990.226). Published Gouriswar Bhattacharya, “Soma - The Hindu Moon God”, in Orientations, October 1993, No.10, p.84, fig.1. Provenance Dr. and Mrs. J. LeRoy Davidson, Los Angeles Sotheby’s, New York, 28 October 1991, lot 302

640

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641A COPPER ALLOY SHRINE TO SURYAKARNATAKA, WESTERN CHALUKYA PERIOD, 11TH CENTURY 21 1/8 in. (53.6 cm) high

$150,000 - 250,000

Surya, the Sun-god, stands tall like a cosmic pillar holding two fully-blown lotuses emphasizing his supreme generative powers. He is adorned with regalia, but not too ostentatiously as to distract from his idealized physique. Paired with an Indian dhoti around his hips, Surya wears tall boots which scholars have suggested indicate a Eurasian origin. As in other Indo-European religious systems, the Vedic Sun-god rides a chariot through the sky, representing the sun’s daily passage. His charioteer and team of seven horses are depicted below, while immediately to either side stand Surya’s alluring consorts, representing the two phases of dawn. Columns emerging from the shine’s base are decorated with the gajavidala motif, which depicts a mythical lion triumphing over an elephant. Two cherubs float on either side of Surya’s halo, surrounded by a magnificent profusion of vegetal and floral volutes emerging from the gaping mouth of a horned kala face. As Pal notes, this bronze shrine marks the apogee of Western Chalukyan metal sculpture, striking a “remarkable balance between decorative exuberance and elegant figural forms to create a harmonious composition of restrained energy”. (Pal, The Elegant Image, New Orleans, 2011, p.134) From their dynastic capital in Kalyani (modern-day Basavakalyan), the Western Chalukyas ruled over Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh in the Deccan Plateau between the late-10th and late-12th centuries. Among their artistic achievements, they patronized the poet Bilhana who produced the famous love poem, the Chaurapanchasika, in the same century this bronze was created. The Western Chalukyas also produced th

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