Page 94 - Bonhams Chinese Works of Art June 2015 Hong Kong

THE PROPERTY OF A LADY 女士藏品
45
A LARGE GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF A LAMA
Tibet, 18th/19th century
Seated in dhyanasana on a lotus base with one hand raised in vitarka
mudra and the other placed on his lap, wearing long flowing pleated
robes, detailed with incised floral scrolls at the hems, the cold-gilt face and chased copper and silver, in the Museum der Kulturen Basel, is
with a strict expression.
38.5cm (15 1/8in) high
HK$150,000 - 200,000
US$19,000 - 26,000
西藏 十八/十九世紀 銅鎏金喇嘛像
Provenance 來源:
A European private collection
歐洲私人收藏
The Qing emperors and court had a close affinity to Tibetan Buddhism
and revered the high lamas of the major sects. An essay written by
Emperor Qianlong in the 56th year of his reign (1791) titled, Lama
shuo [On Lamaism], discloses the court’s attitude and policy towards
Lamaism, see: Wang Baoguang, ‘An Analysis of the Relationship
between the Qing Emperor’s Belief in Tibetan Buddhism and
Their Tactics of Running China from the Aspect of Lama Shuo (on
Lamaism)’, Lightness of Essence: Tibetan Buddhism Relics of the
Palace Museum, Macau, 2003, p.370. Wang notes that the religion
was important not simply as a venerated belief and faith, but also
as a tactic of governance effective in stabilising outer regions such
as Mongolia. The proliferation of Tibetan Buddhist figures, including
Lamas such as the present lot, during the 18th/19th centuries is a
testament to the religion’s political and cultural importance.
92 | BONHAMS
Compare a similar Tibetan gilt-bronze figure of a monk, dated circa
18th century, also composed of four separately cast parts, sold at
Sotheby’s London, 10-11 March 1985, lot 138. A related group of
three figures including Tsongkhapa with his principal pupils in a shrine,
19th century, also constructed in pieces but made of hammered
illustrated by C.B.Wilpert, ed., Tibet: Buddhas, Gods, Saints, Munich,
2001, pp.36-37, no.9.
While it is difficult to definitively determine the identity of the figure, the
upturned eyebrows are an unusual element that is most commonly
associated with Padmasambhava. For a related example of the
same period in the Alice Kandell Collection, see M.M.Rhie and
R.A.F.Thurman, A Shrine for Tibet: The Alice Kandell Collection, New
York, 2009, pp.104-105, nos.II-2a and 2b.
瑞士Museum der Kulturen Basel藏一組三件宗喀巴和其弟子像，其
鑄造方式可與本像作比較，請參閱C.B.Wilpert，《Tibet: Buddhas,
Gods, Saints》，慕尼黑，2001年，頁36至37，編號9。另見一件同
樣是以四部分分開鑄造並拼裝的18世紀銅鎏金上師像，後售於倫敦蘇
富比，1985年3月10-11日，拍品138。
本喇嘛像身份雖不明確，但其較為少見的上翹眉毛，通常為蓮花
生的面部特徵之一，可參考Alice Kandell藏一例，見M.M.Rhie and
R.A.F.Thurman，《A Shrine for Tibet: The Alice Kandell Collection》，
紐約，2009年，頁104至105，編號II-2a及2b。