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Lot 801
A polychrome gilt lacquered wood figure of Dorje Drolo Qing dynasty, 17th century
18 December 2017, 11:00 PST
San FranciscoSold for US$4,750 inc. premium
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A polychrome gilt lacquered wood figure of Dorje Drolo
Qing dynasty, 17th century
Displaying a wrathful expression and a third wisdom eye to the forehead, attired in intricately detailed robes, striding pratyalidhasana upon a tiger busily feasting upon a prone nude figure laying upon the lotus petal plinth supporting the flaming mandorla.
12in (30.4cm) high
Displaying a wrathful expression and a third wisdom eye to the forehead, attired in intricately detailed robes, striding pratyalidhasana upon a tiger busily feasting upon a prone nude figure laying upon the lotus petal plinth supporting the flaming mandorla.
12in (30.4cm) high
Footnotes
The exquisite quality of these gold painted wood Buddhist sculptures in the collection of Barbara Adams (lots 801, 802 and 806) parallels the level of craftsmanship seen in imperial bronzes of the Qing dynasty within The Palace Museum, Beijing, such as a bronze of Yamantaka published, Zangchuan fojiao zaoxiang-Gugong bowuyuan cang wenwu zhenpin quanji (Hong Kong, 2008) p.215, no.205.
This dynamic example depicts a rare wrathful form of Padmasambhava in his aspect as the Subduer of Demons, a task he is credited with when taming the wild spirits and founding Buddhism in Tibet. The piece compares favorably to an example of the same subject in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Acc.#M.86.281), and a related a figure of Palden Lhamo sold at Christie's, London, 5 November 2013, lot 380.
Provenance
Estate of Barbara Adams (1931-2016), Washington DC
Buddhist Art from the Collection of Barbara Adams
Sold to Benefit the Barbara Adams Trust
Lots 801-813
Once the royal consort of Prince Basundhara of Nepal, Barbara Adams (1931-2016) was a spirited philanthropist, who used her celebrity in Nepal to champion social and political reforms.
Meeting the prince on her first visit to Nepal in 1961, she soon accompanied him on all official visits outside of the palace. In 1963, she became the first authorized 'foreigner' to enter the kingdom of Mustang (which although part of Nepal retained a separate monarchy). With the prince, she established Nepal's first international travel agency. Residing in Nepal for the majority of five decades, Barbara advocated for social justice, at times being a staunch critic of its former monarchy and subsequent democracy on issues of corruption, human rights, and services for the underprivileged.
Barbara funded a volunteer program designed to steer young Nepalis to stay in Nepal and become involved in local development. In 2011, she launched the Barbara Peace Foundation, which has built dozens of houses for Nepal's poorest, and helped Dalit ('untouchable') families to buy land and establish self-sustaining communities.
The following Buddhist art objects from Barbara's home in Washington D.C. are being sold to benefit the Barbara Adams Trust. Close friends believe she likely collected these items in Nepal in the 1970s/80s, whereafter they were kept in her Washington DC home. The Himalayan Cataract Project, which seeks to develop sustainable eye care infrastructure in the Himalayas, is a beneficiary of the Barbara Adams Trust and will receive proceeds from the sale of these art objects.
The Himalayan Cataract Project (HCP) works to overcome barriers impeding delivery of eye care to underserved, needlessly blind people in the developing world. Our efforts are focused on eradicating preventable and curable blindness through high-quality care, training of local personnel and establishment of world-class eye care infrastructure where most needed. At the core of the HCP's success is its long-standing, trusted partnership with the Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology, based in Kathmandu, Nepal. (See www.cureblindness.org)