Page 44 - Bonhams, Images of Devotion, April 21 2021

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A SILVER AND COPPER INLAID BRASS FIGURE OF A KAGYU LAMA
TIBET, CIRCA 13TH CENTURY
Himalayan Art Resources item no.68310
16.5 cm (6 1/2 in.) high

HKD1,000,000 - 1,500,000

西藏 約十三世紀 錯銀錯紅銅噶舉喇嘛銅像

This striking portrait of an unidentified religious leader is exemplary of the Lamaist
portraiture tradition that is almost unique to Tibet. As in many portraits of lamas
hailing from the early Kagyu orders of Tibetan Buddhism, the figure’s right hand is
in bhumisparsha mudra, following representations of the principal lineage holder,
Phagmo Drupa (1110-70), who was considered a second Buddha.

The status of this lama as a revered hierarch is confirmed by the luxurious and
elaborate use of inlaid silver and copper. Most notably, silver is used to highlight his
prominent upper teeth, drawing attention to an emphatic smile. This rare feature is
also found on a remarkable portrait of Phagmo Drupa in the Cleveland Museum of
Art (1993.160; Huntington, The Circle of Bliss, Chicago, 2003, p.162, no.35), with
the monastic leader’s lower teeth detailed in silver. The irises of the present figure are
also inlaid with silver (and copper in the corners), while his ovoid face is lightly incised
to indicate a faint mustache and sideburns.

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