AN INSCRIBED BRONZE FIGURE OF SHARKA RECHEN TIBET, 15TH – 16TH CENTURY

seated in vajraparyankasana on a double-lotus base with the right hand held in vitarkamudra and the left hand resting on the knee, the face with a joyful expression and framed by short curly locks and pendulous earlobes, adorned with jewellery including earrings and a necklace inlaid with semi-precious stones, clad in loose robes with incised borders and hems cascading in folds on the base, the reverse with a Tibetan inscription on the petals of the lotus base, the base sealed and incised with a double-vajra

Himalayan Art Resources item no. 68473

Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 1996-2005, on loan.
The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet: Buddhist Art in the Nyingjei Lam Collection, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, October-December 1999.
Arte Buddhista Tibetana: Dei e Demoni dell' Himalaya, Palazzo Bricherasio, Turin, June-September 2004.
Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 2005-2017, on loan.
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, 2012-2013.

David Weldon and Jane Casey Singer, The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet: Buddhist Art in the Nyingjei Lam Collection, London, 1999, fig. 54.
Franco Ricca, Arte Buddhista Tibetana: Dei e Demoni dell’ Himalaya, Turin, 2004, fig. 53.

Good overall condition. Minor surface wear and losses to several of the inlaid stones. There are traces of cold gold to the face and neck, and traces of polychrome to the hair. Original baseplate intact.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This charming ungilt bronze figure depicts a lama identified by a verso inscription as Sharka Rechen. This may refer to a fifteenth or sixteenth century figure in the Kagyu lineage also known as Sharka Rechen, the name of whom is preserved in the oral history of Chakrasamvara or Damchog Nyengyu, but of whose life little is known. 

Great attention to detail is paid in this remarkable portrait, including the mirthful expression, the short curly locks, the beautifully embellished details on the outer hem of the inner and outer robes and the meditation belt, and the personal accoutrements such as the inlaid-stone jewellery and mala or rosaries worn around the wrists.