Page 63 - Bonhams NYC Portraits of the Masters Bronzes march 2017

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A SILVER AND COPPER INLAID BRASS ALLOY A SILVER INLAID COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF VIRUPA
FIGURE OF A KAYGU LAMA TIBET, 16TH CENTURY
TIBET, 14TH/15TH CENTURY Himalayan Art Resources item no.2320
Himalayan Art Resources item no.2313 3 5/8 in. (8.5 cm) high
6 1/2 in. (16.8 cm) high
US$5,000 - 8,000
US$15,000 - 20,000
西藏 十六世紀 銅錯銀毘魯巴像
西藏 十四／十五世紀 錯銀錯紅銅噶舉喇嘛銅像
Virupa was the first mortal master of the ‘Path with the Result’ (lamdre
Published tradition), the core tantric practice of the Sakya order, which can
Portraits of the Masters, pp.184-5, no.41. provide enlightenment in a single lifetime. Virupa is also one of Tibetan
Buddhism’s most colorful figures. Formerly an abbot of Nalanda,
Published & Exhibited Virupa received the ‘Path’ from the deity Vajra Nairatmya after giving
Monasterios y Lamas del Tibet, p.188, no.141. up on decades of unfruitful practice of the Chakrasamvara tantra.
His subsequent rituals cost him his affiliation, as other members of
the monastic hierarchy frowned upon his consumption of meat and
alcohol. Banished from Nalanda, he wandered as a yogin, performing
a number of outrageous miracles. This cheerful example seems to
encapsulate his mischief.

Published
Portraits of the Masters, pp.220-1, no.52.

Published & Exhibited
Monasterios y Lamas del Tibet, p.192, no.145.

Provenance
Sotheby’s, New York, 20 March 1997, lot 202

PORTRAITS OF THE MASTERS: 108 BRONZE SCULPTURES OF THE TIBETAN BUDDHIST LINEAGES: | 61