Page 62 - 2020 December 2 Bonhams Arts of Devotion bronzes and Stone carvings

1030
A THANGKA OF SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA A Newari inscription on the back, reads: ‘Homage to Shakyamuni:
TIBET, CIRCA 1850 the holy date of the Newar year 879, on the 6th day of the month of
Distemper on cloth; verso with a newari inscription. Vaishakha (corresponding to April-May 1850), when the eldest brother
Himalayan Art Resources item no.16910 Shri Jiva Narasimha died in Lhasa, Tibet, this image of Shri Shri Shri
60 x 38.3 cm (23 5/8 x 15 1/8 in.) Buddha Shakyamuni was dedicated accordingly in his name with full
devotion by his brothers, namely Shr Birkusa and Shiva Narasimha.
HKD70,000 - 90,000 Wishing all the family the best blessings in life’. According to a study
by Dr. Gautama Vajracharya, presented at the conference titled,
Himalayas. An Aesthetic Adventure, held in Chicago on 6th April 2003,
西藏 約1850年 釋迦牟尼唐卡 the present thangka was likely painted in Lhasa.

The painting’s central subject of Shakyamuni enshrined within a temple Published
is probably an image of an actual cult statue in Tibet. It is sided by a Erberto Lo Bue, Tibet, Dimora Degli Dei, Milano, 1991, p.35, no.5.
replica of itself in the painting’s bottom left corner. In the bottom right Erberto Lo Bue, Immagini di Fede nel Mondo Tibetano e Himalayano,
corner, there is an image most likely of Ekamatrka Shri Devi (cf. Lokesh Firenze, 2014, p.25, no.3.
Chandra, Buddhist Iconography, nn.250, 352, 2439). In the painting’s
upper register, Amitayus is flanked by Ushnishavijaya and Sita Tara. Provenance
Private Italian Collection, acquired 1980s

60 | BONHAMS