A TIBETAN GILT-BRONZE MINIATURE FIGURE OF KING GESAR

A TIBETAN GILT-BRONZE MINIATURE FIGURE OF KING GESAR
18TH CENTURY

Wearing a long-sleeved brocade garment with high heavy boots and a traditional Tibetan hat with a finial and feathers tucked into the cap, he is adorned with jewellery, including a central medallion on his chest, he holds a lotus stem and a flaming jewel in his right hand and a ritual bow in his left, seated on two flayed human skins above a trapezoidal throne or base, 107g, 7.1cm.

Provenance: from the collection of Mr Nicholas Squire (1949-2024), Suffolk, England, purchased from Spink, London, 23rd September 1992, a copy of the invoice is available. A copy of a Spink valuation document dated 4th December 1992 is also available.

十八世紀 銅鎏金格薩爾王坐像
來源: 英國薩福克郡Nicholas Squire先生（1949-2024）收藏。1992 年 9 月 23 日購於倫敦古董商Spink，附發票複印件和 1992年12月 4日的Spink 估價文件複印件。

The tale of King Gesar, believed to have lived around the 10th century, has a very long history in Central Asia and Tibet. In the narrative, Gesar defends his people against various external aggressors, human and superhuman, through a series of marvelous feats. Gesar is typically represented as a warrior on horseback in Dralha appearance or in the present case as the enthroned king, Gesar Dorje Tsegyal, Gesar Vajra King of Life, often shown amidst his retinue of heroes. A complete set of Eastern Tibetan thangkas depicting his exploits is held in the Sichuan Provincial Museum, Chengdu.