Page 34 - Bonhams NYC Portraits of the Masters Bronzes march 2017

3224
A LIFE-SIZE GILT COPPER ALLOY REPOUSSÉ FIGURE OF A YOGIN
TIBET, CIRCA 17TH CENTURY
Himalayan Art Resources item no.2260
35 in. (89 cm) high

US$300,000 - 500,000

西藏 約十七世紀 銅鎏金錘疊真人尺寸瑜珈修士像

This colossal sculpture is immense in scale and power. The life-size portrait of the
seated master yogin remains unidentified but its sheer size suggests that he would
have been a primary figure within a shrine room. His hair is rendered in ringlets that form
an even line across his broad forehead, while is mustache and chin hair are accented
with wavy marks. The remaining applied color in his right eye amplifies his introspective
attitude, with his right hand in the gesture of explication, and the left resting in his lap in
meditation.

The construction from several sheets, with elements embossed and chased, provides an
almost seamless and harmonious presentation of the full figure. Both hands and face are
cast, and rivets are employed in discreet locations. The base is sealed by a copper sheet
and it is likely that the consecration material remains intact.

Life-size sculpture of any kind in Tibet is extremely rare and the common practice was to
employ the techniques of repoussé and cast elements to construct the largest figures.
Other life-size portraits of Lamdre lineage masters are preserved in Mindroling, Tibet,
see von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, Hong Kong, 2003, nos.238A-J. Also
compare with a large scale portrait of Lama Puntsok Sherap dated to the 17th century in
the San Antonio Museum of Art (acc.#2004.7.1), see Lo Bue et al., Wonders of Lo: The
Artist Heritage of Mustang, p.102, no.7.10. Also compare the treatment of the drapery
across the legs of an equally large figure of the Kagyu Lama Gyalwa Gotsangpa in the
Freer and Sackler Galleries, see Thurman & Rhie, A Shrine of Tibet, pp.120-121, no.II-11.

Published
Portraits of the Masters, pp.150-3, no.24.

Published & Exhibited
Monasterios y Lamas del Tibet, p.167, no.114.

Provenance
Sotheby’s, New York, 17 June, 1993, lot 36

32 | BONHAMS