A rare gilt copper alloy figure of Sertrap Tibeto-Chinese, 18th century

dressed in flowing robes and knee-length boots, wearing a layered cap surmounted by a shangkha, and a billowing scarf falling to the back of his richly caparisoned mount striding across a lotus pedestal

In good overall condition, with minor accretion and rubbing of the gilding. Traces of red and white pigment. The scarf has broken at each shoulder and been re-attached. A small section of the club remains in his right hand the rest is broken, a separately cast lasso in his left hand is missing and two loops at waist level indicate the attachment of possibly the separately cast cuirass, now missing. The underside of the horse has an intact consecration seal. Two small hooks on the neck of the horse would have held ornamental trappings, now missing. The lotus base has an original and intact consecration plate engraved with a visvavajra.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The rarely depicted deity is the terrific aspect of Tsangpa Drakpo, a pacific protector deity who is white and wears a conch shell in his hair, hence the presence of the shell emerging from Sertrap's cap. He is the protector deity of the Dagyab monastery in the Kham province of eastern Tibet and the Nyagre college at Drepung, Lhasa, where the Dagyab lamas traditionally study. For a painting of the deity and full discussion of the iconography, see Marylin M. Rhie & Robert A. F. Thurman, Wisdom and Compassion; The Sacred Art of Tibet, London, 1991, p. 308-9, no. 121.