Lot 69, Auction 3/19/2026: Tibetan Lacquered Brass Lama – Vitarka Mudra

$650.00

In stock

Central Asia, Himalayan Region, Tibetan, ca. mid-20th century CE. A Lama sits in poised tranquility, his form rising from a lotus throne like a whispered teaching carried across high mountain air. Cast in brass and finished with a deep lacquer that drinks in the light, the figure carries the calm authority of a teacher who has spent long years navigating the terrain of mind and spirit. Quick-eyed viewers will notice the consecration stamp impressed into the underside, a sign that this sculpture once served an active ritual life before it crossed into the world of collectors. The Lama’s right hand is lifted in the vitarka mudra, the gesture of teaching and intellectual transmission. This circular joining of thumb and forefinger signals the turning of ideas, the refinement of insight, and the movement of knowledge between master and disciple. His left hand rests with deliberate ease in his lap, cradling a scripture or tablet that anchors the figure in the scholarly and monastic traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. Size: 4.8″ L x 6.7″ W x 9.8″ H (12.2 cm x 17 cm x 24.9 cm)

Together, these gestures create a small choreography of wisdom: inquiry offered outward, study held inward. The layered robes sweep across the seated body in crisp folds, their patterning picked out by touches of worn gilding that soften the figure’s otherwise dark, mirrorlike surface. The crowned headdress, sharply modeled and rising in a tall front peak, identifies the sitter as a high-ranking Lama, likely meant to portray either a lineage holder or an important teacher within a monastic order. The lotus base below him, with its rounded petals and rhythmic ornament, functions as the visual equivalent of a steady heartbeat, grounding the figure’s meditative stillness.

Mid 20th century workshops in Tibet often favored brass softened by dark lacquer, giving these devotional figures a shadowed, intimate presence that feels both venerable and immediate. This sculpture carries that atmosphere with quiet confidence, offering an object at once devotional and contemplative, ready for display or for continued ritual appreciation.

Condition: Some nicks and abrasions in areas with small losses to lacquer, but, otherwise, intact and excellent with good detail.

Provenance: private Denver, Colorado, USA collection

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