Auction introduction: The highlight of this season’s Indian and Himalayan Art auction is a monumental silk brocade thangka of Mahakala, woven with a six-character reign mark of Yongle, under whose rule the masterpiece was created as a gift from the Imperial court to a Tibetan hierarch, probably Tegchen Chogyal Kunga Tashi (1349-1425). The sale includes a strong selection of Gandharan sculpture, led by a monumental torso of Shakyamuni Buddha from the collection of Michael Phillips and a nearly life-sized standing figure of Shakyamuni Buddha from an old Japanese collection. There is also a fine eighth-century Swat Valley silver-inlaid bronze figure of Khasarpana Lokeshvara from the collection of Maureen and Harold Zarember. The Tibetan bronze section includes a rare 15th-century gilt-bronze figure of Mahachakra Vajrapani, a large 14th-century gilt-bronze figure of Manjushri and a 16th-century silver-inlaid portrait of Kunzang Nyida Drakpa. Highlights of the Indian section are two 10th/11th century sculptures: a large marble stele of Vishnu from northwestern India and a rare bronze figure of a tirthankara from south India. The sale is rich in provenance, with selections from the collections of Sven Gahlin, Gerd Wolfgang Essen and the Estate of Nik Douglas.