A THANGKA DEPICTING HEVAJRA AND CONSORT TIBET, MID-19TH CENTURY

the yidam with eight heads, sixteen arms and four legs standing in ardhaparyankasana with the consort Nairatmya, trampling underfoot four supine figures atop a lotus throne, wearing the five-pointed crown, the six bone ornaments, and garlands of skulls and severed heads, holding kapala aloft in the many hands, surrounded by a retinue of eight goddesses with Virupa, Kurukulla and lamas in the upper register, with Shri Devi, Kubera and other deities in the lower register, with Tibetan inscription, framed in a textile mount

Oriental Art Gallery, Zurich, 6th August 1966; thence by descent.

Wear, scattered areas of staining, creasing, some losses to pigment and accretion overall. Framed in a textile mount.
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.

According to the Tibetan inscription in the lower register, the current thangka depicting Hevajra and the consort Nairatmya in ecstatic union was commissioned by Naljor Jampal Zangpo in the year of the Female Water Tiger, which corresponds to the 14th Tibetan rabjung or 1842-1843 C.E. 

Naljor Jampal Zangpo (1789-1864) was the fifty-first lineage holder of Ngor Monastery in Central Tibet. He was the brother of Jampa Kunga Tendzin, and one of the root teachers of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, the visionary member of the Ri-me movement the 19th Century. 

The Hevajra Tantra was developed in the 9th Century by the yogi Virupa, who is depicted in the upper left of the current painting. This tantra is considered the most important of the Sarma or New Translation transmissions preserved by the Sakya school, particularly at Ngor Monastery. 

The inscription reads as follows:

Om swasti!

This depiction of glorious Hevajra [was created] as described in the second section of the Hevajra tantra, [utilizing] the methodologies of the four levels of meaning. May the teachings of Ewam [Chöden] endure!

This [thangka] was remade based on an earlier thangka [in accordance] with the pith instructions and the 23rd day recitation worship during in the Year of the Water Tiger, [commissioned] by the monk Shakya Naljor Jampal Zangpo.

By the virtue accumulated throughout lifetimes, may the ultimate goal of the Mahayana [be attained] and the quintessential instructions of the three types of tantra persevere and flourish!

Special thanks to Jeff Watt of Himalayan Art Resources for his assistance in the cataloging of this lot.