Bonhams New York auctions rare items to help rebuild Nepal

<p style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; background: white;"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#444444">A<span style="font-size:10.5pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#444444"> <span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:#444444"><g data-gr-id="58">15th century</g><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#444444"> <span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";color:#444444">sculpture of Buddhist deity Chakrasamvara and another figure of Buddhist guru Gayadhara besides a range of rare bronzes, thangkas, stone and miniatures figure in an upcoming auction by Bonhams.<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"> 

<p style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; background: white;"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#444444">Part of the proceeds of the Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Art auction scheduled to be held in New York on September 14, with total estimates of $ 2 million — $ 3 million will be donated to charities engaged in relief and rebuilding operations in the earthquake affected Nepal, auctioneers said in a statement.<o:p></o:p>

<p style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; background: white;"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#444444"> <span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; color: #444444;">One of the highlights of the sale, a gilt copper alloy figure of Chakrasamvara considered a masterpiece of Tibetan sculpture, is estimated to fetch between $ 400,000 — $ 600,000.<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; color: #444444;"> <span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; color: #444444;"><g data-gr-id="55">It expresses</g><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; color: #444444;"> <span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; color: #444444;">one of the most important transcendental<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; color: #444444;"> <span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; color: #444444;"><g data-gr-id="44">ideals</g><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; color: #444444;"> <span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; color: #444444;">in Buddhist art? the supreme bliss of enlightenment attained through the perfect union of wisdom and compassion. The 123 sale lot includes a rare silver and copper alloy figure of Gayadhara, one of the few known identified portraits of the Tibetan Buddhist teacher, is estimated to fetch between $100,000 to $150,000.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; background: white;"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#444444"> <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Auctioneers have announced a section within the sale to raise funds for Nepal following the recent devastating earthquakes. “The Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust and Save the Children will receive an equal share of the full hammer proceeds from this section and a donation from Bonhams,” auctioneers said.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; background: white;"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#444444"> <span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; color: #444444;">Another standout lot,<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; color: #444444;"> <span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; color: #444444;"><g data-gr-id="52">say</g><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; color: #444444;"> <span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; color: #444444;">auctioneers, is a<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; color: #444444;"> <span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; color: #444444;"><g data-gr-id="51">12th century</g><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; color: #444444;"> <span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; color: #444444;">copper alloy gem-like bronze figure of Tara, created during a time of prolific cultural exchange between the Pala monastic universities of Bengal and Bihar and Central Tibet.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; background: white;"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#444444"> <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">The sale also features a group of Tibetan thangkas from the collection of the late Tibetan scholar Lobsang P Lhalungpa. Among his collection is a thangka that depicts Arhat Pindola Bhadravajra, one of Buddha’s four original disciples.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; background: white;"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#444444"> <span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; color: #444444;">A thangka from an Arhat series:<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; color: #444444;"> <span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; color: #444444;"><g data-gr-id="46">Pindola</g><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; color: #444444;"> <span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; color: #444444;"><g data-gr-id="47">bharadvaja</g>, Eastern Tibet, Palpung style,<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; color: #444444;"> <span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; color: #444444;"><g data-gr-id="56">18th</g><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; color: #444444;"> <span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; color: #444444;">century has been estimated to fetch between $ 20,000 to $ 30,000. Mark Rasmussen, specialist Head of Sale in Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Art at Bonhams in New York said, “This sale comprises another tight grouping of works, selected for their quality, that particularly appeal to buoyant markets today. At the core is a varied group of Himalayan sculptures attesting to highpoints in the history of the Himalayas and surrounding regions.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; background: white;"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#444444"> <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">“As media attention naturally shifts to newer tragedies, we hope the needs of the people will not fade from public consciousness, and we are keen to support those committed to the relief and rebuilding of Nepal.”