Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Works of Art
Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Works of Art
Property of an International Collector
A Copper Alloy Stupa Inlaid with Copper, Western Himalayas, 15th/16th Century
Auction Closed
September 20, 05:33 PM GMT
Estimate
15,000 - 20,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Property of an International Collector
A Copper Alloy Stupa Inlaid with Copper
Western Himalayas, 15th/16th Century
Height: 12½ in. (31.7 cm)
a square plinth, each side decorated with birds and other animals, surmounted by tiered copper registers with incised panels of lantsa script, the dome decorated with garlands and drapery, surmounted by a tapering chattravali, a parasol and finial top
Himalayan Art Resources item no. 13469.
Since its acquisition from Sotheby's London in October 1993, the current work has been personally reconsecrated by the Gyalwang Drukpa, Jigme Pema Wangchen, and filled with sacred objects and prayers from the Drukpa Kagyu Buddhist lineage. Also known as the Red Hat Lineage, the Drukpa school has flourished in Ladakh, the Western Himalayas, and most notably in Bhutan, where it is the dominant lineage and state religion.
The spiritual head of the Drukpa Kagyu lineage, the current Gyalwang Drukpa is an internationally renowned activist and educator, and the recipient of both the United Nations Millennium Development Goals Honour as well as the Green Hero Award, presented by the President of India, in 2010. He is a fierce proponent of womens' rights, and the founder of the Druk Gawa Khilwa nunneries in Kathmandu and Ladakh, the home of the now famous "Kung Fu Nuns".
In 2012, under the leadership of the Gyalwa Drukpa, the sacred Buddhist site at Nangchen, China was restored and reconsecrated. This site include the world's largest statue of Amitabha, as well as the Ashoka Stupa, celebrating one of the 84,000 pillars or edicts built by Ashoka (reign c. 268 – c. 232 BCE), the Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty.