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A gilt copper repoussé arhat A gilt copper alloy figure of Lobzang Gyatso
Tibet, 18th century Tibet, 18th century
Rendered in two sections, his face with a Finely cast, seated on a double cushion and wearing a patchwork robe with possibly the hilt of his
creased forehead and prominent cheek bones, purba extending from the fold behind his right hand in the gesture of teaching, a heavy outer robe
wearing voluminous robes and his right hand in draped over his shoulders and pooling sumptuously over his legs, his portrait with a broad nose,
vitarka mudra. prominent ears, steadfast expression, and traces of polychromy for his eyes and hair.
13 in. (33 cm) high 4 5/8 in. (11.7 cm) high
$10,000 - 15,000 $25,000 - 35,000
Compare with a closely related example of The suggested presence of the projecting purba is consistent with other inscribed portraits of the
Tsongkhapa in the Kandell Collection, now in Great Fifth Dalai Lama, see Rhie and Thurman, Wisdom and Compassion: The Sacred Art of Tibet,
the Freer-Sackler Galleries, published in Rhie New York, 1996, p. 272, no. 98. The other earlier portrait with his right hand in the earth-touching
and Thurman, The Alice S. Kandell Collection, pose is in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, see Pal, Lamaist Art: The Aesthetics of Harmony,
New York, 2009, no. I-13. Also see another Boston, 1975, no. 54.
published in Xu Tianfu (ed.), Faces of Dharma:
Selected Works of Tibetan Buddhist Art, Taipei, The naturalist rendering of his robes and the intact gilded consecration plate bearing a finely
2012, no. 45, p. 92. incised visvajra are indicative of master craftsmen associated with Tashi Lhunpo, see Liu I-se, Tibetan
Buddhist Art (Hsi-tsang Fo - Chiao I-shu), Beijing, 1957, figs. 76 & 78.
Provenance:
Private Collection, Los Angeles Lobzang Gyatso (1617-82 CE) is central figure to both Kagyu and Nyingma orders. Strife between
aristocratic factions was reconciled under his reign and he began construction of the infamous
Potala Palace in Lhasa in 1645.
Provenance:
Private New England Collection, acquired in 1970s
30 | Bonhams
