Page 36 - Bonhams NYC Portraits of the Masters Bronzes march 2017

3225
A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF GAMPOPA
TIBET, 15TH/16TH CENTURY
Inscription translated, ‘Homage to the Lord Candraprabhakumara’.
Himalayan Art Resources item no.2263
9 1/4 in. (23.4 cm) high

US$80,000 - 120,000

西藏 十五／十六世紀 銅鎏金岡波巴像

Gampopa (1079-1153), ‘The Man from Gampo’, occupies a pivotal role within the
development of the Kagyu schools. Originally a Kadam adept, at a time when the order
was at odds with the Marpa Kagyu, Gampopa became one of Milarepa’s two principal
students, even though the Kadam forbade the latter’s tantric practices. The particular
value of Gampopa’s contribution was his ability to integrate the seemingly antithetical
Kagyu tantra with Kadam monastic discipline.

At Dakpo in U, Central Tibet, he founded the first Kagyu monastery. Counted among his
students were some of Tibetan history’s most important figures, such as Pagmodrupa
(lot 3232) and The First Karmapa, Dusum Khenypa (1110-93). Indeed most subsequent
Kagyu lineages strive to trace the descent of their tradition to Gampopa. So high is the
esteem for him, that Gampopa is believed to have fulfilled two c.1st-century Mahayana
prophecies that foresaw the coming of one who would revive certain teachings and
monastic practices, such as the collection of alms – hence the alms bowl resting in
his portrait’s lap. Similarly, the bronze’s inscription identifies him as the reincarnation of
Candraprabhakumara from the Sutra of the King of Meditations.

The sizable bronze depicts the master with a percipient smile. He is wrapped in a
sumptuous meditation cloak over his monastic robes, with hems of incised floral and
cloud patterns. The distinctive broad and raised lotus petals situate the bronze within
15th-16th century production, likely within U province, given the regional taste for gilding
with chased designs. Compare with a Vajradhara and a Karmapa of the period, published
in Uhlig, Path to Enlightenment, Zurich, 1995, pp.63&182-4, nos.23&128.

Published
Portraits of the Masters, pp.159-161, no.28.

Published & Exhibited
Monasterios y Lamas del Tibet, p.169, no.116.

Provenance
Sotheby’s, New York, 24 September 1997, lot 88

34 | BONHAMS