Page 86 - Bonhams NYC Portraits of the Masters Bronzes march 2017

3265
A LARGE GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF A LAMA
TIBET, 17TH CENTURY
Himalayan Art Resources item no.2297
17 3/4 in. (45.5 cm) high
US$200,000 - 300,000
西藏 十七世紀 銅鎏金喇嘛像
Judging by its impressive size and quality, the present lot is no doubt an important
commission to honor an accomplished master, perhaps as part of a large set which
would have lined the great assembly hall of a major monastery. On his own, he is the
quintessential image of a lama engaged in the act of imparting wisdom.
One’s attention is immediately drawn to the five incised lines of his furrowed brow,
emphasizing his stern focus and wisdom. The naturalistic contours of his face,
bulging on the cheekbones and sunken around the mouth, indicate the caster’s adroit
understanding of human anatomy. The slender fingers of the lama’s right hand display his
gesture associated with reasoning or teaching. Meanwhile, his lean, well-proportioned
frame is wrapped in unusually diaphanous garments, redolent of the “wet robes” of Indian
and Nepalese sculpture. Lastly, he sits above a grand lotus of elegant petals that signify
the high esteem the lama should be afforded.
Published
Portraits of the Masters, pp.352-3, no.106.
Published & Exhibited
Monasterios y Lamas del Tibet, p.221, no.197.
Provenance
Christie’s, New York, 3 October 1990, lot 162

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