Page 21 - 2020 September 23 Himalyan and Southeast Asian Works of Art Bonhams

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A POLYCHROMED WOOD TORANA WITH Traces of red, black, and blue pigment, remain, as well as a
TWELVE BODHISATTVAS delightful speckled pattern on the makaras. The style of the
TIBET, CIRCA 13TH CENTURY intertwined vegetal curlicues and flame border are exemplary of
Himalayan Art Resources item no.16834 master Newari woodcarvers who were trained in the Pala Buddhist
32 in. (81.3 cm) high art of Northeastern India and instrumental in its transfer to Tibetan
monasteries in the 13th century. Compare the palette and low-relief
$30,000 - 50,000 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
西藏 約十三世紀 木質彩繪十二菩薩陀蘭納門 can be observed in 13th-century thangkas of Tathagatas held by
American museums (HAR 101355, 101356 & 101357). And a roughly
This intricately carved wood torana serves as a backdrop for a contemporaneous torana, albeit modest by contrast to the present lot,
standing Buddha or bodhisattva sculpture. The composition has stands behind a wood sculpture of Pagpa Lokeshvara in the Museum
a flame border and is populated by twelve bodhisattvas seated in Rietberg, Zurich (von Schroeder-Imhof, Schritte zur Erkenntnis, Zurich,
alcoves. The surround of the plain central throne back is decorated 2006, pp.68-9, no.14).
with an iconographic formula known as ‘The Six Ornaments’
interspersed with meandering swells of vegetation. This formula Provenance
generally comprises—from top to bottom—pairs of elephants, followed Private West Coast collection since 1980’s
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.

INDIAN, HIMALAYAN & SOUTHEAST ASIAN ART | 19