HIMALAYAS

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KonCHog bang

Tibet 18th century Ground mineral pigments on cloth 72 cm x 48 cm Provenance: Private UK collection Publication: Himalayan Art Resources (himalayanart. org), item no. 88593. Price on request

ObJeCt PReSented by:

Kapoor Galleries M.: + 1 (212) 794-2300 E.: info@kapoors.com W: www.kapoors.com

An important text narrated by the great Indian pandit Atisha explicating the essential practices of the early Kadam tradition of Tibetan Buddhism describes Konchog Bang as an Indian prince. Therein, Atisha describes his foremost disciple as an incarnation of the Great Compassionate One, Avalokiteshvara, and Kongchog bang’s story is one of his previous lives. After refusing to marry the wife his father selected for him, prince Kongchog Bang encounters a Buddhist saint in the sky before him who advises him to go to the land of Uddiyana where he will find the dakini Sangwa Yeshe and bring her home as his betrothed. After a treacherous journey riddled with demons he must battle he finds the dakini in the company of Guru Vimala and thousands of other dakini. There, he learns he will be reincarnated as Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo and Sangwa Yeshe will take the form of his Chinese wife. The Secret Wisdom dakini (labeled ‘Sangwa yeshe’ in Tibetan) floats in the upper right corner of the composition and Guru Vimala (labeled ‘Lama Drima-med’) floats in the upper left holding a vajra and a bell. An inscription in Tibetan Ume script on the back of the painting makes reference to both figures:

By the compassionate moon rays of Vimala guru and guhya Jnana, nurturing the lily garden, ripening the beings of the land of uddiyana; To the one Lord Konchog Bang i pray!

(translation by Jeff watt)

The present painting comes from a well-known thirteen-painting compositional design representing Dalai Lamas and their pre-incarnations. The original designs took the form of woodblock images which were likely created at Narthang, where the thirteenth century Kadam Legbam (the aforementioned source of Konchog bang’s identity), which began as an oral teaching, was recorded by the ninth abbot Khenchen Nyima Gyeltsen (1225-1305). However, this painting is not only a display of that standard iconography, but of the careful hand of a seasoned thangka painter whose skill is apparent. Compare the present painting to a nineteenth-century iteration of this composition in the Rubin Museum of Art (acc. C2006.66.332), which lacks the nuances of color and the capturing clouds displayed in the present composition.

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Śiva NaTarāja

Nepal Late 16th century Golden copper Height 26 cm Provenance: Private collection, France Price: 4.000 euros

ObJeCt PReSented by:

Christophe Hioco M.: +33 (0) 1 53 30 09 65 E.: info@galeriehioco.com W: www.galeriehioco.com

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The work represents Śiva dancing within a halo of flames, resting on a lotiform base. dressed in a dhoti, a long cloth wrapped around her body, the deity is also adorned with numerous ornaments. The pose of the arms and legs is dancing. The left arm, in particular, is in the ’elephant trunk’ posture, indicating her foot, where the devotee can kneel to receive divine grace. This figure is identified as a representation of Śiva naṭarāja, one of the five forms of the god. It is an epithet of Śiva who performs a cosmic dance, that of creation and destruction. The flames symbolise the successive cosmic cycles. The posture is dynamic, graceful, revealing the effervescence of the dance. It seems to stand out from its ogive-shaped frame, characteristic of Himalayan art. The work is richly ornamented, and is distinguished by its sense of detail, as well as the work executed by the craftsman on the metal. The remains of gilding adorn the piece with beautiful reflections, giving it a remarkable decorative aspect. Thus, this beautifully crafted piece does not fail to seduce the eye.

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WHiTe TaRa

Nepal 18th century Gilded bronze (the figure in cast bronze, the base worked in the repoussé technique) Height: 22 cm Width: 18 cm Price: 9.500 euros

ObJeCt PReSented by:

Alexis Renard T.: + 33 1 44 07 33 02 E.: alexis@alexisrenard.com W: www.alexisrenard.com Representations of Tara, a protective goddess whose key virtues are compassion and mercy, often combine spirituality and sensuality. They are recognisable by the flower held in her hand. This kind of sculpture is used as a focal point during meditation, and is generally placed in temples alongside its companion, the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, or Padmapani – literally, ‘he who holds a lotus’.

This beautiful bronze Tara is a product of the Kathmandu Valley, dating back to the 18th century. Sitting in the padmasana position, she is represented bestowing a benediction: her left hand is in surya mudra, while her right hand is held low and open towards the sky in vara mudra, offering a blessing. She is richly dressed and bejewelled, and her intricate headdress is decorated with floral motifs and large earrings. She is seated on a lotiform base and holds in her left palm the stem of a lotus that blooms into a flower by her shoulder, an iconography that is specific to representations of the white Tara.

Newar artists were renowned for their excellent mastery of bronze, and especially the lost wax technique. The artists from this region generally used a high volume of copper in their bronze alloy, resulting in the famous russet tone that is often visible on the backs of sculptures.

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