THE FORTHCOMING SELLING OF “PRICELESS” BUDDHIST TREASURES TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER IN HONG KONG: Ancient Indian and Nepalese Buddhist statues, 10th Karmapa rare 17th Century paintings and more (whose lineage into private collectors’ ownership is not clear) being sold at Christie’s Hong Kong auction house on 3 November 2025

“Regarding poetry and painting there is none greater than me in Tibet. I am one who pleases . I am one who has come into this world to paint.”–10th Karmapa, Choying Dorje [1]

“Superior to all of these [was] the Lord of the World practicing art, the glorious Karmapa Choying Dorje. This individual studied painting with the Chukhyer Trulku Tsering of Lhodrak, a follower of the Menri manner. During the later part, however, he was inspired by Chinese scroll painting for painting (bris) and influences from [old] Kashmiri originals for his sculpture (bur). His marvellous paintings, along with his embroideries, can be seen even today.” from Jamgon Kongtrul’s Shes bya kun khyab (All-Pervasive Knowables, 1846)

 “The caged bird sings with a fearful trill of things unknown but longed for still and his tune is heard on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom.”–Maya Angelou

It was interesting (but also frustrating and sad) to see that Christies Hong Kong are holding an auction of Indian and Himalayan Art on 3rd November 2025, in which forty “priceless” Buddhist artworks and statues, many of which may have been “stolen” from Tibetan Buddhist masters or their monasteries, as well as 3rd-15th Century, Indian and Nepalese Buddhist statues and sculptures (some examples below), are being sold off at expensive prices (in worldly terms, cheap in terms of historical and spiritual value)  to the highest bidder. An e-catalogue of the exhibition can be downloaded here.

Why are these items not being returned/re-patriated to their original and rightful owners? If the origin source is not clear or dubious lineage in terms of how they got into the hands of private art collectors (as it is not for many of these listed items), then as a matter of respect and ethics, they should be returned to their source if traceable.

For example, Christies are publicly selling three stunning 17th Century Tibetan Buddhist thangka paintings by the supreme head of the Karma Kagyu lineage, 10th Karmapa, Choying Dorje [1] (who had to flee into exile for his life at the Mongolian-Gelugpa violence). The lineage may have been gifts by the 10th Karmapa to the Naxi Kings who became his kind patrons when he was forced to live in exile in China for twenty years. However, surely these should now be returned to the Karmapa’s main seat of the Tsurphu Labrang (operating in exile) or the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje himself? Or at the very least offered to the Karmapa/Tsurphu Labrang as first and only bidder?  I read the “Conditions of Sale” for bidding published by Christies with the auction’s works, and there was no real restriction on who could own or buy them either, yet Christies retain the right to abitrarily bar someone bidding:

“We may, at our option, refuse admission to our premises or decline to permit participation in any
auction or to reject any bid.” (Condition C: 1)

I discuss these three stunning paintings below, their vague origins and ownership below. One can only hope that some public pressure can be brought to bear on these private art collectors and auction houses, to do the right thing and either return them to their original source or at least give them the option of first and only bidders? Am I alone in thinking it is terrible enough that the Karmapas’ precious artworks and objects were stolen by the Mongolian-Gelugpa forces, and then for them to be sold off for profit to private art collectors, whose names remain anonymous?

I recently reported on my attendance at a conference presentation of the 10th Karmapa’s painting of his personal Dharma Protector, Rangjung Lhamo, presented by a researcher from Sichuan University. A painting only recently revealed to have been in the Potala Palace collection (clearly one of the stolen stash from the Gelugpa/Ganden government rule).

Write to Chris Wilkinson at Christies

I have written to Chris Wilkinson, the curator of this auction at Christies Hong Kong, with a link to this article, to request that Christies consider returning the 10th Karmapa paintings to the 17th Karmapa/Tsurphu Labrang in Hong Kong or Asia, as a first option. But also to consider doing that with other sacred objects from India and Nepal, where the origin of “ethical” ownership is vague or dubious. I encourage others who read this article to do the same. The publicly listed contact details for those interested in the auction of these artworks is listed as Edward Wilkinson: ewilkinson@christies.com +4420 7389 2302 . I have included a draft email to use (which can be personalised), for those without much time.

Perhaps nothing will happen from writing to them (and may not even get a response), but that is not the main purpose.  Starting to have these conversations and making such kinds of questions more prevalent can influence and shift people’s perceptions and ways of thinking in more subtle ways that even if not yielding any obvious results now, may have impact in the future.  Or hopefully a kind and generous art collector might buy them and then freely donate them to the Karmapa and/or Tsurphu Labrang. As Gandhi once famously said: “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win”. Never underestimate the power of truth, wisdom and justice in a time of greed and ignorance.

For my own personal “on the ground research” about the five main Karma Kagyu monasteries founded by the 10th Karmapa and 8th Tai Situpa in Lijiang, Yunnan during their forced exile there for almost twenty years, see my e-book here.

Music? And Your Bird Can Sing by the Beatles and Caged Bird by Maya Angelou.

Set of three 10th Karmapa, Choying Dorje’s paintings, whose ownership and origins are vague after the 10th Karmapa

1) Shakyamuni Buddha’s Parinirvana : Bidding price HKD 8,000,000 – HKD 12,000,000 (USD 1 200 000 – 1 600 000)

The first painting by the 10th Karmapa being sold for profit by Christies for between 1 to 2 million USD, is a stunning rendition of the Shakayamuni Buddha’s parinirvana.

Christies explain how the painting belongs to a larger set of the Twelve Deeds of the Buddha, said to have been hand painted in 1653-1654, inspired by a commentary by one of his main teachers, 6th Zhamarpa.  Christies refer to the Karmapa’s exile as “political upheaval” again glossing over the Mongolian Gelugpa violent invasion of Tibet and its massive suppression and theft of such objects by the Gelugpas of the other main lineages.

Christies state its first public appearance on the art-world “market” outside Tibet was in Sotheby’s New York in 1979. They are vague about how it came to be there and who sold it etc. Citing Tsurphu Monastery as the likely source, they then say that many objects were taken from there to Rumtek Monastery, Sikkim.  But again, none the wiser as to how this painting came to be in private art collector’s hands.

2)A THANGKA OF GARWA NAGPO, ATTRIBUTED TO THE TENTH KARMAPA, CHOYING DORJE )Bidding price: USD 840 000 -1 200 000 (HKD 6,500,000 – HKD 9,500,000)

The next painting is one of the Dharma Protector, Garwa Nagpo, again the origins are vague stating “private American collection, before 2024, Distinguished European Collection”. Christies state:

“The subject is the Oath-Bound Protector (Damchen), rendered in the nag thang or black-ground painting tradition, a visual mode typically reserved for wrathful deities. The inscription in gold identifies the Tenth Karmapa as the source of the image, though the formal and honorific language, similar to that found in the Marpa thangka (von Schroeder, The Tenth Karmapa Tibet’s Greatest Artist, Hong Kong, 2025, pp. 198-9, P1), indicates it was likely written by a devotee rather than by the Karmapa or his direct attendant. Despite this, the attribution remains critical in understanding the painting’s place within Choying Dorje’s oeuvre.”

“The inscription not only attributes the work to the Tenth Karmapa but provides crucial information regarding its date and location. It records that the painting was created in the “Land of Gura Sharka” in Minyak (southern Kham), specifically in Banghe village, Daocheng County, Sichuan, placing the work geographically and narrowing the possible dates within the Tibetan calendrical Sheep Years of the Karmapa’s lifetime to 1655. This aligns with historical accounts of the Karmapa’s presence in the region during his exile, particularly a documented visit to Minyak in 1655.

Further corroboration comes from the Karmapa’s biography, which records that in the same year he painted a thangka of Damchen Dorje Lekpa in the style of Jeu (Byeu). Given that the figure in this painting is clearly labeled as Damchen in the inscription, and carries the hammer and bellows typical of the blacksmith emanation Damchen Garwai Nakpo, the identification seems well-founded.”

3) AN EMBROIDERED SILK THANGKA OF SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA ATTENDED BY MAHAKASYAPA AND ANANDA. Painted in Lijiang, Yunnan. Bidding Price: USD 110 000 -150 000 (HKD 800,000 – HKD 1,200,000)

Christies interesting description of this artwork include the following:

“This exquisitely embroidered thangka depicts Shakyamuni Buddha seated in dhyanasana on a lotus pedestal, framed by an elaborate mandorla and flanked by his two principal disciples, Mahakasyapa and Ananda. At the base of the pedestal is a pile of precious jewels, while above presides Vajradhara, the primordial Buddha (adibuddha), overseeing the scene. Shakyamuni’s right hand extends downward in bhumisparsha mudra, the “earth-touching gesture” that commemorates the moment of enlightenment.

While somewhat similar embroidered textile thangkas are known from the Late Ming and Early Qing periods, this thangka exhibits stylistic elements that suggest a specific attribution to Choying Dorje, the Tenth Karmapa (1604-1674).”

The theme of the embroidery, Shakyamuni with his two main disciples, is familiar from the numerous examples already known in the painting sets of the 16 arhats by Choying Dorje, where this theme forms the central painting.  The treatment of many elements in the embroidery is strikingly similar to these paintings, from the overall format, to details such as the clear distinction in age shown in the portrayal of Mahakasyapa and Ananda, and the rendering of their patchwork robes.

Although Choying Dorje is best known for his paintings and sculptures, his biographies and autobiographies frequently mention his work with embroideries. When he was first reunited with his main teacher, the sixth Shamarpa in 1620, when only 16 years old, he received an Arya Avalokiteshvara painted on cotton from his teacher, and in turn offered the Shamarpa “a silk embroidered image of the Buddha” (Mengele 106, notes 83, 84, 85, quoting from Choying Dorje’s autobiographical Wish Fulfilling Cow).

Another notable example is recorded in the authoritative biography of Situ and Belo: when Choying Dorje, then 33 years old, was on pilgrimage in Tsari during the Tibetan New year of 1637, “…he made the drawing for embroidered images of the Sixteen Elders surrounded by sixteen thousand four hundred arhats. He set up a workshop with ten craftsmen.” (translation by Mengele, Irmgard Riding a Huge Wave of Karma, The Turbulent Life of the Tenth Karma-pa, p 1974). “

Other precious Tibetan Buddhist objects

A Gelugpa narrative bias can be seen in the presentation by Christies of the historical lineage of some of the works. For example, this 16th Century statue of the Dharma Protector Begtse Chen is incorrectly attributed to a lineage that comes from the 3rd Dalai Lama, yet as I mentioned here, the lineage came into Tibet from the Kagyu lineages’ forefather Marpa Lotsawa and the Sakya lineage, later the practice was hijacked by the Gelugpa School.

“Sonam Gyaltsen, was one of the foremost Tibetan sculptors active in the Shigatse region of Central Tibet during the second quarter of the 15th century. His workshop flourished under the patronage of the Sakya order and members of the Rinpungpa dynasty (1435–1565), during a period marked by intense religious and artistic production.”

Suggested draft email to the auction’s Global Head/curator, Chris Wilkinson

The details of the organiser of this auction, Chris Wilkinson, together with a photo, email and phone number are provided on the auction website. I have written to him, with a link to this article, and a request similar to the one below. Please also write to Chris, I have provided a draft to use (which you can personalise as you wish) at your convenience.

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Endnotes

[1] The Tenth Karmapa was something of a child prodigy. By the age of seven he is said to have fully learned the art of painting, and by the age of eight he was already a prolific artist. Biographical sources from 8th Tai Situpa and Belo, reveal the 10th Karmapa’s self-conception as an artist, and his statement that “Regarding poetry and painting there is none greater than me in Tibet. I am one who pleases . I am one who has come into this world to paint.” See: Si tu and ’Be lo = Si tu Paṇ chen Chos kyi ’byung gnas and ’Be lo Tshe dbang kun khyab, [Unpublished Biography of Chos Dbyings Rdo Rje]. Originally Part of Bsgrub Rgyud Karma Kam Tshang Brgyud Pa Rin Po Che’i Rnam Par Thar Pa Rab ’byams nor Bu Zla Ba Chu Shel Gyi Phreng Ba. Republished in Rgyal Dbang Karma-Pa Sku Phreng Bcu Pa Chos-Dbyings-Rdo-Rjeʼi Rnam Thar Dang Gar-Dbang Chos-Kyi-Dbang-Phyug Gi Rnam Thar Rtogs Brjod ʼdod ʼjoʼi Ba Mo (Sarnath, Varanasi: Wā-ṇa Badzra-bidyā Dpe-mdzod-khang, (1775) 2012), 399-468, fol. 184a, lines 7–184b, line 1. http://purl.bdrc.io/resource/MW4CZ294918.