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Successes of Oct. 14, 2012 Auction

Material Culture is proud of the successes of its October 14 sale, “The Spirits of My Reincarnation Brothers and Sisters: Art, Textiles, Antiquities, Carpets, Ethnographic Arts, Navajo Jewelry.” Art and artifacts of diverse origin, bound together by quality and rarity, provided unique opportunities for collectors of all levels. An impressive percentage of the lots were sold, at 0ver 90%. International participation was high, with bidders from 32 different countries, an interest matched by local and domestic collectors bidding in person, online, and by telephone. Early Thangka scroll painting depicting Vajra Varahui The auction’s top lot was a bold, masterfully-rendered early Thangka scroll painting, dating to 14th-16th century Tibet, which saw an extremely spirited bidding war and sold for $46,000—over ten times its estimated selling price of $3,000-$4,000. This Thangka, depicting the deific reincarnation known as Vajra Varahi in Sanskrit and Dorje Pakmo in Tibetan, came to the auction from the Bill Liske Collection of Tibetan and Chinese Textiles and Artifacts. Other textiles that exceeded their estimates from Liske’s collection include a rare Tibetan High Lama Temple throne canopy of pieced silk brocade with dragons, from the late Ming period (1368-1644), which sold for $2,000 (est. $500-$700), and a [...]

Textiles and Carpets at the Oct. 14, 2012 Auction

Early Thangka scroll painting depicting Vajra Varahui Material Culture's October 14 sale, "The Spirits of My Reincarnation Brothers and Sisters: Art, Textiles, Antiquities, Carpets, Ethnographic Arts, Old Navajo Jewelry" will showcase the second part of Bill Liske's collection of antique Chinese and Tibetan textiles and artifacts, the fruit of three decades of Liske's travel and work in the Himalayan region. Originally a mountaineer and guide, Liske's natural eye for textiles was honed by textile dealers in the area, and his expertly-chosen collection has appeared at many galleries, the History Museum in Denver, and in Hali magazine. One of the most exceptional of these items to be shown at this auction is a vibrant and powerful early Thangka scroll painting depicting the deific reincarnation known as Vajra Varahi in Sanskrit and Dorje Pakmo in Tibetan, dating to 14th-16th century Tibet. Four excellent masks are led by a 19th century Tibtetan or Bhutanese bull-headed Buddhist dance mask of meditational deity Yamantaka, whose extremely vibrant red tone is achieved by pigment on a papier-mâché of laurel or mulberry. Other top lots from Liske's collection include an 18th century Tibetan Thangka, a Chang Tang tie-dyed woman's dress, a 19th century Tibetan silver-lined [...]