Page 216 - Bonhams NYC Indian and Himalayan Art March 2019
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A GILT LACQUERED COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF NAMPAR Though primarily a Tibetan religion, Bon is also followed by certain
GYALWA Chinese cultural groups such as the Naxi people in Yunnan, which
MING DYNASTY, CIRCA 15TH CENTURY explains why some rare Bon sculptures, such as the present example,
Himalayan Art Resources item no.61923 are produced in a Chinese style. The treatment of his scarf with two
8 7/8 in. (22.5 cm) high fishtail ends draped over the base, his looped necklaces, the folds
of his lower garment, and the scroll-tipped lotus petals closely follow
$25,000 - 35,000 conventions set by Ming imperial workshops. Other examples of Bon
sculptures produced in a Chinese style include a gilt bronze Kunzang
明 約十五世紀 銅漆金南巴嘉瓦像 Akor at the Rubin Museum of Art (C2006.71.7), and a Kunzang
Gyalwa Gyatso in the Ligmincha Institute (HAR 85584).
Identified by his unique hand gestures, the present bronze represents
Nampar Gyalwa, or ‘The Fully Victorious One’. He is a form of Bon’s
principal deity, Tonpa Shenrap, whose role in the Bon religion is similar
to that of Shakyamuni in Buddhism. Recounted in the Ziji, a detailed
biography of Tonpa Shenrab, he manifests as Nampar Gyalwa to
defeat the temple-destroying demons.
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