Page 50 - Sotheby's Indian Himalayan and Southeast Asian Wroks of Art March 2019

HIS EXCELLENCY MR. JAMES GEORGE (B. 1918)

This beautifully preserved Tibetan gilt- stationed at the Canadian embassy in Paris. healing methods outside the realm of
bronze sculpture of the Amitayus Buddha is He served as High Commissioner to India Western medicine and later, to support
part of the collection of Mr. James George. and Ambassador to Nepal from 1967-1972. more universal connections between
World traveler, author, environmentalist, In 1971, he was credited by fellow Canadian peoples. In 1984, he became the president
spiritual ambassador and passionate art and the first Commonwealth Secretary- of the Anwar Sadat Peace Foundation.
collector, Mr. George was a high ranking General, Arnold Cantwell Smith, with With Friends of the Earth, he led an
member of the Canadian Foreign Service diffusing the escalating tension between international mission to Kuwait after the
from the 1950’s until his retirement in 1977. India and Pakistan, which culminated in First Gulf War to assess environmental
Included in his collection are icons from the formation of Bangladesh from erstwhile damage resulting from the burning of the
several world religions. East Pakistan. oil wells. For many years, he continued to
James George was born and raised During his years in India, Mr. promote peace in the Middle East.
in Toronto, where he studied at the George continued his exploration As Mr. George approached his 100th
prestigious Upper Canada College and of the spirituality that underlies all birthday last year he made the decision
graduated from Trinity College at the religious traditions. Together his wife to sell some of the artworks that he had
University of Toronto. In 1940, he received and he studied Hindu and Buddhist acquired over his lifetime. In particular,
a Rhodes Scholarship for Ontario, and a texts, attended sacred ceremonies, and he felt that special objects, such as
Littauer Fellowship to Harvard University. met with religious leaders of various the Amitayus, needed to be seen and
He served in the Royal Canadian Navy faiths and denominations. They opened experienced by more people in the world.
Reserve during World War II, leaving the their residence in New Delhi to young The sculpture had been a gift to him
Navy as Lieutenant Commander. Canadians who were eager to learn more from well-known Tibetan spiritual leader
In 1945, toward the end of the war, he about the traditions of India, Nepal, Tibet Dudjom Rinpoche. The two had met in 1971
joined the Canadian diplomatic service and and Bhutan. And, they also collected art, under the aegis of His Holiness the Dalai
he and his then wife Carol, were posted both old and new. During this time Mr. Lama, who at the time was trying to save
to Greece. Later, during the 1950’s, he George also began his treasured, lifelong Buddhist palm leaf manuscripts preserved
represented Canada at the United Nations, association with His Holiness Tenzin in India from disintegrating in the humid
was appointed the Deputy Director of the Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. climate. A project was immediately begun
Intelligence Division in Ottawa, and was After retiring from the Canadian to microfilm manuscripts and over the
Canadian Deputy Representative at NATO Foreign Service, Mr. George focused next two years over 500 teachings were
in Paris. From 1960-1964 Mr. George served his efforts on being an international microfilmed and catalogued. Thanks to that
as the Canadian High Commissioner to Sri environmentalist and spiritual effort, today these extraordinary teachings
Lanka (then known as Ceylon), and was ambassador, advocating the usefulness are available to all those who seek them.
of moral and spiritual values rather than It is Mr. George’s hope and ours that this
political means alone to help resolve beautiful sculpture of Amitayus Buddha will
conflicts. He founded the Threshold be as meaningful to its next owner as it has
Foundation in London, initially to support been to him over his lifetime.

Indira Gandhi, Lester B Pearson (Canadian Prime Minister James George with His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, 1980’s
from 1963-1968) and James George, New Delhi, Easter
1969

48 SOTHEBY’S INDIAN, HIMALAYAN & SOUTHEAST ASIAN WORKS OF ART