Published: Per Kvaerne, The Bon Religion of Tibet: The Iconography of a Living Tradition, London, 1995, pl. 12.

The central deity seated in dhyanasana on a lotus throne supported by lions, flanked by flowering lotus and backed by a blue halo, against a finely painted scroll background, wearing only a loincloth with folds gathering at the base, surrounded by the lamas and deities of the Drenpa Akar Gongdü lineage, the lower register with monks wearing white meditation caps, dancing laypersons, and offerings.

Inscriptions: The mantra on the reverse of the painting describes Kuntu Zangpo in this form as a divine manifestation of the eighth-century sage Drenpa Nankha, often referred to by Bonpa simply as lachen, The Great Lama (see Per Kvaerne, The Bon Religion of Tibet: The Iconography of a Living Tradition, London, 1995, page 119).

Provenance: The Richard & Magdalena Ernst Collection of Himalayan Art. Sotheby’s New York, 22 March 2018, lot 944, bought-in at an estimate of USD 40,000 or approx. EUR 43,000 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). Richard Robert Ernst (1933-2021) was a Swiss physical chemist and Nobel Laureate. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1991 for his contributions towards the development of Fourier transform nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy while at Varian Associates and ETH Zurich. He humbly referred to himself as a "tool-maker" rather than a scientist. Besides toiling with his work, Ernst also enjoyed music and art, specifically Tibetan paintings. Using scientific techniques, Ernst would research the pigments on the scrolls to learn about their geographic origin and age.
Condition: Good condition with expected old wear and traces of use. Minor creasing with associated small losses. The canvas made of two sections joined vertically at the second column of figures on the left side, with creases and losses at the joint. Some minor consolidation of the blue halo around the central figure but no further restoration.

Dimensions: Image size 66 x 56.5 cm

The elaborate frame with an aperture to the reverse to show the inscription. (2)

Kuntu Zangpo is a peaceful deity found within the Bon religion. He can have a similar appearance to a naked sanggye without any ornaments, as depicted in the present lot, or he can appear as a peaceful deity with ornaments and heavenly garments. The Tibetan term 'kuntu zangpo' in Bon usage can also be used as an epithet for other peaceful male deities.

Drenpa Namkha, who is mentioned in the mantra on the reverse of this thangka, was born in the 8th century near Mount Kailash in Chunlung Ngul Kha in south-western Tibet. As a young student he was blessed with eight principal Bon teachers. Drenpa Namkha became a self-realized supreme master of the three Bon practices, known as Sutra, Tantra, and Dzogchen. He is the primary long-life deity and a popular personage in the Bon tradition. He is said to have had twin sons: Tshe-dbang Rig-'dzin, a Bon teacher, and Pad-ma 'Byung-gnas, the famous Buddhist teacher Padmsambhava.

Literature comparison:
Compare the background scrollwork on a Sakya mandala, dated to ca. 1429-56, illustrated in Steven M. Kossak and Jane Casey Singer, Sacred Visions: Early Paintings from Central Tibet, New York, 1998, p. 170, pl. 47c.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christies New York, 22 March 2011, lot 329
Price: USD 43,750 or approx. EUR 52,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A thangka of Amoghasiddhi Buddha, Tibet, 15th Century
Expert remark: Compare the related style, period, and size (75.5 x 62.2 cm)



十五世紀西藏普賢王如來唐卡
布面設色，普賢王如來本尊結跏趺坐坐在蓮座上，兩側是盛開的蓮花，背面是藍色的光背，只著纏腰布，周圍環繞著喇嘛和神靈；畫面下部是戴著白色僧帽的僧侶、跳舞的居士和供品。

出版：Per Kvaerne，《The Bon Religion of Tibet: The Iconography of a Living Tradition》，倫敦，1995年，圖12。

款識：唐卡背面描述普賢王如來作爲八世紀旃巴南卡尊者的化身，Bonpa 稱之爲大喇嘛 (見 Per Kvaerne，《The Bon Religion of Tibet: The Iconography of a Living Tradition》，倫敦，1995年，第119頁)。

來源：The Richard & Magdalena Ernst 喜瑪拉雅文化收藏，紐約蘇富比，2018年3月22日，lot 944，買入價 USD 40,000 或相當於 EUR 43,000 (根據通貨膨脹率)。Richard Robert Ernst (1933-2021年) 是瑞士物理化學家和諾貝爾獎獲得者。1991 年，他因在 Varian Associates 和 ETH Zurich 對Fourier變換核磁共振 (NMR) 光譜學的發展做出的貢獻而獲得諾貝爾化學獎。他謙虛地稱自己為“工具製造者”而不是科學家。除了辛勤工作，Ernst還喜歡音樂和藝術，尤其是西藏繪畫。Ernst使用科學技術研究捲軸上的顏料，以瞭解它們的地理來源和年代。
品相：狀況良好，有磨損和使用痕跡，輕微摺痕伴有相關的小缺損。由兩部分組成的畫佈在左側第二列數字處垂直連接，連接處有摺痕和缺口。中心人物周圍的藍色光背有一些輕微的合併，但沒有進一步地修復。

尺寸：畫面66 x 56.5 厘米

背面有款識。(2)

普賢王如來是苯教中的和平神。他的外表可能與本拍品所描繪的裸體桑溪相似。如本拍品所描繪的，他也可以呈現為穿著僧衣和佩戴飾物的祥和本尊。苯教中的藏語“kuntu zangpo”也可以用作其他和平男神的稱號。

旃巴南卡，這幅唐卡背面真言中提到的人，於西元 8 世紀出生於西藏西南部春龍鄂喀的岡仁波齊山附近。作為一個年輕的學生，他有幸遇到了八位主要的苯教老師。他成為三種苯教法門的自證無上大師，即為顯宗、密宗和大圓滿。 他是本尊的第一位長壽本尊，也是苯教中廣受歡迎的人物。據說他有一對雙胞胎兒子：苯教上師澤德邦仁增和著名佛教導師蓮花生大士蓮花生。

文獻比較：
比較約1429-56年旃巴南卡畫軸，見Steven M. Kossak和Jane Casey Singer，《Sacred Visions: Early Paintings from Central Tibet》，紐約，1998年，頁170，圖47c。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2011年3月22日，lot 329
價格：USD 43,750（相當於今日EUR 52,500）
描述：十五世紀西藏不空成就佛唐卡
專家評論：比較相近的風格、年代和尺寸(75.5 x 62.2 厘米)。