Auction Alert: Indian and Southeast Asian Art at Christie's

(L-R) Green Tara, Thangka of Amitabha

Christie's Indian and Southeast Asian Art auction today (September 12) will feature more than 120 lots of rarity and significance from Gandhara, Nepal, Tibet and India. To be held in New York, the sale's highlights include a polychromed gray schist figure, a gilt bronze Padmapani, and two thangkas from the collection of Dr Eugenio Ghersi.

Dr Ghersi was a surgeon, naval hero, and one of the last great explorers of Tibet. Over the course of two expeditions with Italian scholar, Giuseppe Tucci around 1933-35, he photographed and documented several monuments and artworks in the Himalayas.

What's on Sale?

A thangka of Amitabha is among the highlights from the collection of Dr Ghersi. Painted in Western Tibet in the second half of the 13th century, this thangka depicts the Buddha seated on a double-lotus throne over a lion base and is estimated to fetch between $400,000 and $600,000.

Also from the collection of Dr Eugenio is a thangka of the Green Tara expected to garner about $400,000 - $600,000 (approx Rs 2.2 - 3.3 crore). The Green Tara is portrayed alongside the five Buddhas, making this the earliest example of the Green Tara in association with Twenty-one Taras and the Eight Fears.

(L-R) Teahcing Buddha, Padmapani

An important parcel gilt and polychromed gray schist figure of the Teaching Buddha is among the sale's highlights, executed in Gandhara in the 2nd or 3rd century and is estimated to fetch $400,000 - 600,000 (approx Rs 2.2 - 3.3 crore). Impressively, this figure of Buddha retains much of the original gilding, making it one of the few remaining polychromed schist figures.

From a private collection, a gilt bronze Padmapani depicts Avalokiteshvara, one of the principal deities in Mahayana Buddhism is estimated to bring in $200,000 - $300,000 (approx Rs 1.1 - 1.6 crore).

Via Christie's