Page 27 - Himalayan Art Macrh 19 2018 Bonhams

3016
A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF
AVALOKITESHVARA SHADAKSHARI
KHASA MALLA, CIRCA 14TH CENTURY
Himalayan Art Resources item no.61549
6 3/8 in. (16 cm) high

$10,000 - 15,000

卡薩瑪拉 約十四世紀 銅鎏金四臂觀音像

Shadakshari personifies the ubiquitous Tibetan Buddhist mantra ‘om
mani padme hum’, thought to contain the essence of the Bodhisattva
Avalokiteshvara. Occasionally a sculpture might include a small boon
nestled between his primary hands, which are raised in the gesture
of entreaty. However, here the sculptor appears to have portrayed
the boon as an ear of grain, redolent of that held by sculptures of
Vasudhara in Nepal. This interest in foliate imagery is reinforced by the
equally unusual presence of a lotus flowering in his lap.

Compare with a strikingly similar representation of Guhyasamaja in
Lauf, Eine Ikonograhie des Tibetischen Buddhismus, Graz, 1979, p.39,
no.8. Both sculptures, with exaggerated long thin eyes and brows, are
rendered in high relief with tall crown elements. Also see Sotheby’s,
New York, 24 September 1997, lot 53 for a Western Tibet Vajrasattva
with comparable features.

Provenance
Private Stockholm Collection, 1970s

3017
A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF AMITAYUS
TIBET, CIRCA 14TH CENTURY
Himalayan Art Resources item no.61539
5 5/8 in. (12.9 cm) high

$4,000 - 6,000

西藏 約十四世紀 銅鎏金無量壽佛坐像

Amitayus is seated in dhyanasana on a double lotus throne, with his
hands in meditation and supporting a long-life vase before his chest.
His foliate jewelry is richly chased and inset with turquoise and coral.
The face has benevolent downcast eyes, a bow-shaped mouth with
outlined lips, and delicately arched eyebrows in relief. For a related
example see von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981,
p.364, no.98B.

Provenance
Private Collection, Toronto, 1987
Private Canadian Collection

INDIAN, HIMALAYAN & SOUTHEAST ASIAN ART | 25