Earliest known Painting of the 14th Dalai Lama fetches £152,800 at Bonhams Auction

The portrait is a centrepiece of Kanwal’s work, capturing the moment when the 14th Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso), then just four years old, was formally enthroned in Lhasa, Tibet, on 22 February 1940. Among those present at the ceremony was Sir Basil Gould, the British Political Officer for Sikkim, Bhutan, and Tibet, who was appointed to represent the British government at the event.

The auction’s top lot was a series of 40 original watercolours by noted Indian artist Krishna Kanwal depicting Sir Basil’s 1940 diplomatic mission to Lhasa. These works, many shown publicly for the first time, offered an intimate and vivid portrayal of the enthronement ceremony, surrounding dignitaries, and ceremonial life in Tibet. The collection sold for an impressive £457,600. 

Also in the auction was Sir Basil Gould’s personal archive, which included seven photograph albums containing more than 1,500 images from the 1936–1937 British Mission to Lhasa. This visual documentation of early 20th-century Tibet fetched £57,550. Additionally, a collection of rare Tibetan manuscripts and books, notably Gould’s 1941 report on the recognition and enthronement of the 14th Dalai Lama both in English and Tibetan was sold for £14,080.

“The Gould Collection has been one of the most extraordinary and profoundly important historical sales I have ever been involved with. The centerpiece, Krishna Kanwal’s oil work The Dalai Lama on the throne on 22 February 1940, documents the enthronement of the Dalai Lama – at the age of four – by an artist who was on the spot. It also conveys the sense of spiritual wisdom emanating from this small boy, something that was much remarked upon by those who met him. We are also delighted with the result for the watercolours depicting the ceremonies, dignitaries, and enthronement of the Dalai Lama, which are as beautiful as they are significant,” Giles Peppiatt, Bonhams Group Head of Pictures, said following the sale.