A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF TSONGKHAPA


TIBET, CIRCA 16TH CENTURYHimalayan Art Resources item no.68479 19.5 cm (7 3/4 in.) high
|Conveying an extraordinary sense of realism, this figure is one of the finest known sculptural images of Tsongkhapa (1357-1419), founder of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The artist must have carefully studied the master's physical characteristics from earlier paintings or sculptures, and successfully brought him to life with remarkable skill and dedication. Tsongkhapa's face, hands and feet are naturalistically modeled with a superb level of detail, including each nail and knuckle. Equally impressive is the sophisticated representation of his robes, with thick layers subtly revealing his rotund belly.   Je Tsongkhapa enjoys great popularity among Tibetans and is abundantly portrayed in paintings and sculptures. As both a spiritual leader and highly respected scholar, he is believed to have received instructions from various deities in his visions, which he incorporated in his writings. He is often depicted holding lotus flowers supporting a sword and a sutra, the attributes of the Bodhisattva Manjushri, of whom Tsongkhapa is revered as his incarnation.   A closely related but smaller example was published in Spink and Son Ltd., Light of Compassion, Buddhist Art from Nepal and Tibet, 1997, pp.24-5, fig.12, and later sold at Christie's, New York, 14 September 2010, lot 66. The physiognomies of the two figures are almost identical, including the distinct pointy hairline, smiling face with downcast eyes, and slightly stocky torso. They also share the same type of inner and outer patchwork robes with densely incised borders.    Published David Weldon and Jane Casey Singer, The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet: Buddhist Art in the Nyingjei Lam Collection, London, 1999, p.144, fig.62. Karl Debreczny, Wutaishan: Pilgrimage to Five Peak Mountain, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 2007, p.78, no.29.   Exhibited The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet: Buddhist Art in the Nyingjei Lam Collection, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 6 October - 30 December 1999. Wutaishan: Pilgrimage to Five Peak Mountain, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 10 May - 16 October 2007. Stable as a Mountain: Gurus in Himalayan Art, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 2009. Casting the Divine: Sculptures of the Nyingjei Lam Collection, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 2 March 2012 - 11 February 2013.   Provenance The Nyingjei Lam Collection 銅鎏金宗喀巴上師像 西藏，約十六世紀 喜馬拉雅藝術資源網68479號 高19.5釐米（7 3/4英吋） 800,000-1,200,000港元   此尊銅像栩栩如生，為藏傳佛教格魯派始祖宗喀巴上師（1357-1419）傳世最精美之造像。藝術家從既存之畫作及塑像中仔細揣摸上師之外形，精工致志，活現其神髓。宗喀巴上師之面相、雙手及雙足形態自然而極盡精細，指甲指節巨細無遣；袈裟之刻畫技巧老練，厚重且富有層次，並巧妙表現上師之圓渾腹部。   宗喀巴上師深受藏民愛戴，常見於繪畫及造像。他既為精神領袖，亦是地位崇高之學者，相傳多位神明曾現身傳教，均被其記於著作之中。其常見形象為手捻蓮花，上承一經一劍，亦即宗喀巴上師托世之文殊菩薩的特徵。   一尊體量較小的可比造像載於Spink and Son Ltd.，《Light of Compassion，Buddhist Art from Nepal and Tibet》，1997年，頁24-5，圖12，後於紐約佳士得拍出（2010年9月14日，拍品66號）。兩者之外貌幾乎完全相同，其獨特之髮線、微笑垂目，以至略顯粗壯之軀幹皆然；其邊緣有繡紋且內外多層的袈裟亦為同款。   著錄 David Weldon與Jane Casey Singert，《The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet: Buddhist Art in the Nyingjei Lam Collection》，倫敦，1999年，頁144，圖62。Karl Debreczny，《Wutaishan: Pilgrimage to Five Peak Mountain》，魯賓藝術博物館，紐約，2007年，頁78，29號。  展覽 The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet: Buddhist Art in the Nyingjei Lam Collection, 阿什莫林博物館，牛津，1999年10月6日 - 12月30日。Wutaishan: Pilgrimage to Five Peak Mountain，魯賓美術館，紐約，2007年5月10日 - 10月16日。Stable as a Mountain: Gurus in Himalayan Art，魯賓美術館，紐約，2009年。Casting the Divine: Sculptures of the Nyingjei Lam Collection，紐約魯賓美術館，2012年3月2日 - 2013年2月11日。  來源 菩薩道收藏