Art collection documenting the 14th Dalai Lama’s enthronement to be auctioned

A collection of articles, photos and paintings documenting enthronement of the 14th Dalai Lama will be put to auction at Bonhams auction house in London on June 4. The collection belongs to Basil Gould — the British diplomat who represented the British government at the ceremony — and is expected to draw attention from around the world.

The auction includes 40 watercolours by Indian artist Krishna Kanwal. These works capture Basil’s mission to Lhasa and provide a record of the enthronement proceedings.

The items include two portraits by Kanwal, one showing the Dalai Lama as a boy before his enthronement estimated to be priced between £70,000-100,000 and another displaying the ceremony estimated to fetch a price of £150,000-200,000, the sources here said.

The sources added that the collection features Basil Gould’s archive, including seven photograph albums with over 1,500 images taken during 1936-1937 British Mission to Lhasa and 16mm Kodachrome footage that was screened for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth at Balmoral in 1937.

Other items include Gould’s diplomatic uniform, medals, decorations, and Tibetan manuscripts and books. The sale will offer pieces of Buddhist art, including an 18th to 19th century Buddha figure set and a Ming Dynasty incense burner. These items have not been seen on the market, and is expected to invoke interest from collectors, institutions and historians.

The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, was enthroned at age four on February 22, 1940, following a search to identify the reincarnation of his predecessor, who passed away in 1933. The four-year-old Dalai Lama was enthroned in a grand ceremony in Lhasa’s Norbulingka Palace. Sir Basil Gould, as the British government’s official representative, bore witness to this historic occasion.

The enthronement came after a search process that began shortly after the 13th Dalai Lama’s death. Following Tibetan tradition, various signs and omens guided high lamas to the remote village of Taktser in Tibet’s north-eastern province of Amdo, where they found young Lhamo Dhondup — the Dalai Lama’s birth name. The search party conducted a series of tests, including asking the child to identify possessions of the previous Dalai Lama, which he reportedly was completed successfully.

Ahead of the auction, a public exhibition of the art will be held at Bonhams New Bond Street from June 1 to 3, offering a glimpse into a pivotal moment in Tibetan and British diplomatic history.

Himachal Tribune