Mark Rasmussen
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Lot 23
A gilt copper alloy figure of Shakya hierarch Tibet, 15th/16th century
14 September 2015, 14:00 EDT
New YorkSold for US$75,000 inc. premium
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A gilt copper alloy figure of Shakya hierarch
Tibet, 15th/16th century
With hands in vitarkamudra holding lotus stems supporting the khadga and prajnaparamita sutra, he wears a flowing robe over the long skirt (shemdap), a delicately incised sleeveless jacket (dhonka) with floral and trellis patterns, and the red monastic cap with long lappets falling over the shoulders.
7 in. (17.7 cm) high
With hands in vitarkamudra holding lotus stems supporting the khadga and prajnaparamita sutra, he wears a flowing robe over the long skirt (shemdap), a delicately incised sleeveless jacket (dhonka) with floral and trellis patterns, and the red monastic cap with long lappets falling over the shoulders.
7 in. (17.7 cm) high
Footnotes
西藏 十五／十六世紀 銅鎏金薩迦派祖師坐像
Shakya lamas are commonly depicted with the implements of Manjushri. Without an inscription we cannot securely identify the patriarch, however, he closely resembles a portrait of Drogmi Lotsawa Shyaka Yeshe (c.992-1072) in the Oliver Hoare Collection. The treatment of the lotus petals and thin beading around the lower edge of the base are identical. As are the handling of the robes and size, suggesting that the two figures are from the same set (see Dinwidde, Potraits of the Masters, London, 2003, p. 229, pl. 55). Also compare with a portrait of Shakya Pandita Kunga Gyaltsen (1182-1251) in the Rubin Museum of Art: himalayanart.org/items/65460.
The chased textile patterns of the lama's jacket replicate Chinese brocades from which these patchwork jackets were traditionally made. The sculpture also follows the post-Yongle convention of draping the robe across the base in dense folds. Compare the treatment of the lotus base, also with a plain upper rim, on a 15th-century portrait bronze of the Tibetan translator Brogmi, published in von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, 2001, p. 1073, pl. 276C.
However, the more naturalistic modeling of the hands and feet, together with a lithe body, are indicative of Newari craftsmanship found in superior Tibetan sculptures. Compare with a closely related example sold at Nagel, 5/6 June 2015, lot 1538, and three Shakya lamas sold at Sotheby's, London, 19 March 2008, lots 304, 305 and especially 306 – of the fourth abbot of Ngor monastery, Gyaltshap Kunga Wangchuk. Also compare to another, formerly in the Onno Jansen Collection, sold at Christie's, New York, 22 March 2011, lot 336.
Referenced:
HAR - himalayanart.org/items/33030
Provenance:
Private American Collection
Acquired in Kathmandu in the early 1960s