A THANGKA DEPICTING MERI TIBET, 16TH CENTURY |

with eighteen arms, six legs, four wrathful faces and six animal heads with a khyung or wild ass above, wearing golden armour and holding a panoply of weapons and emblems, standing in pratyalidha asana on a lotus throne with khyung, horse, white deer, a black and a white kneeling figure, snow lion, red horned animal and tiger beneath, accompanied on the throne by Nele Sipe Gyalmo and Namkhe Ole, with the Ten Terrifying Ones to the sides, each with consort and two Messengers, the top two registers depicting the transmission lineage of the cult of Meri, and surrounded by the complete entourage of the tutelary Zhangzhung deity, with the Bon Protectors Sipai Gyalmo, Nyipangsai and Menmo below, an altar table to the left in the lower register with two lamas wearing the lotus cap flanking a high ecclesiastical dignitary wearing the serteb hat Himalayan Art Resources item no. 73139.

“Dieux et démons de l’Himâlaya: Art du Bouddhisme lamaïque” Grand Palais, Paris, 25 March-27 June 1977; and Haus der Kunst, Munich, 5 August-16 October 1977.

Jeannine Auboyer and Gilles Béguin, Dieux et démons de l'Himâlaya: Art du Bouddhisme lamaïque, Paris, 1977, cat. no. 204. Per Kvaerne, The Bon Religion of Tibet: The Iconography of a Living Tradition, London,1995, pl. 31.

In good and stable overall condition. With no restoration. Vertical stains running from two thirds of the painting up to the bottom, visible in catalogue illustration. Another stain running through left hand side of central figure. Creases and losses throughout including losses to the face and helmet of the central figure.
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.
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An inscription of the reverse of the thangka is contained within a Bon stupa with characteristic black-horned khyung birds in the lotus umbrella. As well as mantras, the text reveals that the thangka was offered by one of the lamas depicted on the front of the painting. The line at the lower edge of the stupa has been translated by Per Kvearne: “It (i.e. the thangka) has been presented (or: made) by the drangsong of the Shen lineage, Tsugpü Gyaltsen, as the tutelary deity of this life and the next. May all sentient beings of the Three Realms (i.e. the entire universe) be encompassed of the Three Lords, who are tutelary deities! Auspiciousness!”, see Per Kvaerne, The Bon Religion of Tibet: The Iconography of a Living Tradition, London, 1995, p. 102.