A polychromed wood figure of Phagpa Lokeshvara

TIBET, 18TH CENTURY

Details

A polychromed wood figure of Phagpa Lokeshvara
Tibet, 18th Century
Standing with the left knee slightly bent with the left hand resting at the thigh, clad in an ankle-length dhoti with the pendant folds hanging between the legs and adorned with a sash arranged diagonally across the thighs, the face with bow-shaped mouth and heavy-lidded eyes flanked by lotiform earrings and surmounted by a tall crown, with the heavy locks of hair spilling over the sides and falling on the shoulders, with remains of cold gold
9¾ in. (24.7 cm.) high

Provenance

Private collection, Europe, acquired in New York, 15 December 1990

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Lot Essay

The unusual iconography of the present sculpture, with the mitre crown and piled locks of hair, help identify this work as the "Phagpa Lokeshvara" (Noble Lord of the World) form of Avalokiteshvara. Numerous copies are known in wood, bronze, and even ivory, and all exhibit the same characteristics. Ian Alsop has suggested that all of the images of Phagpa Lokeshvara derived from a single source, the main image of Avalokiteshvara in the Phagpa Lhakhang, the oldest shrine of the Potala. According to legend, the original sandalwood image in this shrine was brought to Lhasa by the 7th century emperor Songtsen Gampo, the man widely thought to have introduced Buddhism to Tibet. It stands to reason that the Phagpa Lokeshvara type, as found in the present work, is based on one of the earliest sculptural forms of Avalokiteshvara found in Tibet.

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