Page 194 - Himalayan Art Macrh 19 2018 Bonhams

3087 W
A POLYCHROMED CLAY FIGURE OF
BHAIRAVA FROM A CHAKRASAMVARA
SHRINE
WESTERN TIBET, 14TH/15TH CENTURY
Himalayan Art Resources item no.61569
23 1/2 in. (59.7 cm) wide

$10,000 - 15,000
西藏西部 陪臚泥塑像 十四/十五世紀

Of extraordinary size, this prone figure was
modeled to appear trampled under the foot
of a monumental figure of Chakrasamvara.
Bhairava’s head is bent backward and turned
to the right to accentuate his being squashed
before the shrine’s audience. His legs are
animated, suggesting his struggle to escape
the weight of Chakrasamvara pressing down
on his back and head. The complete shrine
would show Chakrasamvara standing on
the Hindu divine couple Shiva and Parvati.
Kalaratri would have been under his other
foot, representing nirvana, while Bhairava here
represents samsara

Typical of the clay sculpture of Western Tibet,
the figure is painted with vibrant colors.
Compare a figure of Yamantaka photographed
in 1948 (Govinda, Tibet in Pictures, Berkeley,
1979, p.183). Also compare the simple thick-
banded gold jewelry and small mouth of the
bronze figures in the King’s Chapel murals
of Guge published in Laird, Murals of Tibet,
Taschen, 2018, and the now badly damaged
Tsaparang Hayagriva, published in Tucci,
Temples of Western Tibet, New Delhi, 1989,
p.LXVIII, no.68.

Provenance
Shirley Day Ltd, London, 12 December 1986
The Elizabeth and Willard Clark Collection,
California

192 | BONHAMS