Page 23 - Fine Asian Art, Bonhams San Francisco June 27, 2017
P. 23
8026
8026 Provenance
from the collection of Burne Hogarth (1911-1996), the original
A LARGE GILT-METAL FILIGREE AND INSET STONE VOTIVE illustrator of Tarzan
PLAQUE
Nepal, circa 19th century For a similar example, see the slightly smaller and perhaps less
Of tall rectangular shape, worked in an intricate mesh of gilt wire elaborate plaque to Vishnu offered as lot 8001 in these rooms as part
inlaid in a dazzling array of semi-precious cabochons and bone tinted of Bonhams Sale 23416 of Fine Asian Works of Art 28 June 2016.
in several colors; centered by a bodhisattva attired in princely raiment
and surrounded by lotus petals blooming at either shoulder all within As noted there, additional examples of plaques like the present lot
an elaborate archway and plinth; below two pair of apsaras, flanked are held in the Art Institute Chicago (Acc# 1982.1674); the Newark
by a pair of Nagarajas, and raised above two soldiers shouldering Museum as published in Pratapaditya Pal, Where the Gods are
firearms and surrounding royal donor figures mounted on an elephant Young, (New York: Asia Society, 1975), pp. 113 & 132, no. 83; and
and an elaborately caparisoned horse, all recessed within the the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art as published in Lipton
surrounding frame adorned in a similar in repeating makara heads & Ragnubs, Treasures of Tibetan Art, New York, 1996, p. 229, no.
and stylized blossom patterns. 121.
26in (66cm) high
These votive plaques would have been made for an early
US$15,000 - 25,000 modern domestic shrine. Interestingly, as well as being a typically
breathtaking example of Nepalese craftsmanship, the present
lot includes two Gurkha soldiers among the pantheon of deities
venerated, symbols of Nepalese wartime bravery since the early 19th
century.
FINE ASIAN WORKS OF ART | 21
