A FINE PAINTING OF A BODHISATTVA OF THE DIAMOND REALM, TABO STYLE, 10TH CENTURY

Expert’s note:
The present lot was once a part of an illuminated manuscript, likely from a Prajnaparamita sutra. This has been confirmed by Tibetologist Dr. Amy Heller, who points towards several comparable works, all dating from the 10th century, and all originating from related manuscripts from this region.
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Northern India, Himachal Pradesh. Watercolors and ink on paper. Depicting a Mahabodhisattva seated in dhyanasana upon a cushioned lotus-petaled throne with the hands held in dharmachakra mudra, the palms and soles stained red, wearing a five-pointed crown, and adorned with elaborate jewelry. The figure with an hour-glass shaped torso, surrounded by flowing celestial scarves, and backed by a flaming halo.


Provenance:
From the collection of Michael Phillips. Michael Phillips (born 1943) is an Academy Award-winning film producer. Born in Brooklyn, New York, his parents were Lawrence and Shirley Phillips, noted New York dealers in Asian fine art, selling to the Met, the LACMA, the Chicago Art Institute, and the British Museum among others. Michael Phillips is a collector of Asian art himself, particularly Indian, Southeast Asian, and Himalayan sculpture. His most important films include The Sting (winning the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1973), Taxi Driver (winning the Palme D’Or at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival), and Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Condition:
Good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, loss to margins, soiling, minimal fading to colors, small tears to edges.

Scientific Analysis Report:
An “Initial Condition Survey” with a microscopic and UV-light examination was conducted by Podany Conservation Services, USA. The examination report concludes: “Given the lack of modern materials there appears to be no clear evidence that this object is an intentional modern forgery or copy.” A copy of the signed examination report, dated 18 May 2021, accompanies this lot.

Dimensions: Image size 17.3 x 16.4 cm, Size incl. frame 34 x 33.8 cm

Framed behind glass. (2)


Constructed in 996, the Tabo Monastery
was built by the Buddhist king Yeshe-Ö (c. 959-1040), who was a descendant of ancient Tibetan nobility that expanded into the Spiti Valley when connecting trade routes between Ladakh and Mustang. The monastery was part of the dynasty’s successful political effort to reintroduce Mahayana Buddhism throughout the region, and thus was once richly decorated with paintings and sculptures. While some of the monastery’s paintings date to around 1040, we know that there have been restoration campaigns over the centuries.


Prajnaparamita
refers to an enlightened means of seeing the nature of reality and it is part of the Mahayana scriptures or sutras which discusses this form of transcendental knowledge. It consists of several sutra, the earliest of which is the Aṣṭasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra or ‘Perfection of Wisdom in 8,000 Lines.’ The Prajnaparamita sutras were first brought to Tibet during the reign of Trisong Detsen (742-796) by scholars Jinamitra and Silendrabodhi and the translator Ye shes De. A key theme of the Prajnaparamita sutras is the Bodhisattva, the ‘awakening-being,’ which is defined in the 8,000-line Prajnaparamita sutra as, “One who trains in all dharmas without obstruction, and knows all dharmas as they really are.” The paintings which illuminate these manuscripts had a meditative purpose, delivering illumination through the images.


Literature comparison:


Compare a related 11th century wall painting in the assembly hall of the Tabo Monastery in the Spiti Valley of Himachal Pradesh. The two paintings are so similar that the present lot possibly served as an inspiration for the Tabo Monastery painting. Compare several paintings of bodhisattvas inside Tabo Monastery, depicted within identical roundels and with similar iconography. The painting also bears a close resemblance to a painting at the White Temple of Tsaparang, which belongs to the Guge style of Western Tibet.


Auction result comparison:


Type: Related
Auction: Bonhams, New York, 27 September 2020, lot 505
Price: USD 16,325 or approx.
EUR 17,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An illuminated sutra page with Buddha underneath the bodhi tree, Kashmir or West Tibet, 12th/13th century
Expert remark: From Kashmir or neighboring Western Tibet, this comparable is one of a small number of paintings on the market that have a large undecorated section around the central scene, possibly suggesting a similar use for the current lot. The comparable also shares the same vibrant use of color.

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