Page 22 - 2020 December 1 Bonhams Hong Kong, Eternal Music in Chinese art

THE PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN 紳士藏品

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AN IMPERIAL PARCEL-GILT COPPER-ALLOY Only three sets of Yongle mark and period ghanta and vajra appear to
GHANTA AND VAJRA have been published. The first set is in the Potala Palace, illustrated
Cast Yongle six-character mark and of the period by Wu Mingdi, ‘Ming Qing zangchuan fojiao faqi lingchu yu hanzang
The gilt handle of the bell finely cast with the head of Buddha yishu jiaoliu’ (Artistic influences of Buddhist ritual objects between
wearing an eight-foliate crown, supporting a band of lotus petals Tibet and China), Studies in World Religions, 2001, issue 6, pp.46-52;
and surmounted by a quintuple vajra-shaped finial, the cylindrical the second is in the Tibet Museum, illustrated by Jia Yang and Wang
handle attached to the domed-shaped bell decorated with radiating Mingxing, Precious Deposits: Historical Relics of Tibet, China , Beijing,
lotus petals, above a band of horizontal vajra symbols within beaded 2000, vol.3, fig.83; the third set is in the Qing Court Collection, Palace
borders repeated above the splayed foot in vertical form, the interior Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Cultural Relics of Tibetan Buddhism
of the bell cast with the Imperial reign mark; the vajra constructed the Collected in the Qing Palace, Beijing, 1998, p.207, no.107.
same, with nine prongs issuing from makara heads, the central knop
flanked by lotus friezes, fitted box. Compare also with a similar gilt copper-alloy ghanta and vajra, 15th
Ghanta, 22cm (8 3/4in) high; Vajra, 17.5cm (6 3/4in) long (3). century, which previously belonged to the second Dalai Lama, now in
the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Tibetan Buddhist Art
HKD500,000 - 800,000 in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2016, p.226, fig.V-58. Another
US$65,000 - 100,000 related example, attributed to the Xuande period from the Palace
Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in ibid., Beijing, 1998, p.208, fig.102.
明永樂 局部鎏金金剛鈴及銅鎏金金剛杵一組
金剛鈴杵常成對使用，為藏傳佛教重要法器。鈴的上半部分表示佛
「大明永樂年施」六字楷書鑄款 身，下半部分象徵佛語，鈴舌寓意金剛其心，鈴内空腔象徵萬法皆
空，鈴聲則宣示空性(emptiness)。杵本為古印度兵器，演變成法器
Provenance: 後，杵身縮短，刃尖變得圓潤，象徵堅固鋒利的智慧，祛除魔障，又
A European private collection, acquired in the 1980s, by repute 稱降魔杵。五股分別象徵大圓鏡智、平等性智、觀妙察智、成所作智
The Rossi Family collection, London, by repute 及法界體性智。
An important Asian private collection
金剛鈴握柄銅鎏金，由八瓣蓮辦與中央直桿組成五股杵，下接寶冠菩
來源： 薩法容，鈴身合金質，頂部鑄陽紋覆蓮，蓮辦内鑄梵字八字真言，其
傳歐洲私人收藏，蒐集與1980年代 下飾連珠紋兩匝，其内鑄金剛杵一周，連珠紋之下鑄法輪一周，鈴緣
傳倫敦羅西家族收藏 鑄連珠紋兩匝，其間鑄垂直金剛杵一周，内壁一側鑄陽文「大明永樂
重要亞洲私人收藏 年施」六字楷書，另一側鑄梵字三字。金剛杵兩端各五股，每股摩羯
吐珠，其下八瓣仰蓮辦，中間寶珠形，通體鎏金。
The ritual bell, sometimes known as a ‘Diamond Bell’ or Ghanta,
serves as a ritual instrument in Tibetan Buddhism. The bell symbolises 早在唐代便有文獻記載印度來華的「密宗大師不空留給唐代宗
Wisdom and Truth in the void and emptiness, with its short ring （762-779年在位）五股金剛鈴杵、銀盤子、菩提子、水晶數珠。」
representing the fleeting nature of that sonorous truth. Originally a 見謝弗E. H. Schafer著，《唐朝的外來文明The Golden Peaches of
weapon carried by ancient Indian gods, the vajra sceptre was adopted Samarkand: A Study of T’ang Exotics》，北京，1995年，頁582。
into Buddhism and referred to within the name of Shakyamuni’s seat 明代以來，北京政權和西藏的聯繫更加緊密，明初靖難之變後，燕王
of enlightenment (vajrasana), hence a symbol of the immutable quality 朱棣（1360-1424）起兵反叛侄兒建文帝朱允炆，戰爭三年後登上帝
of the spiritual truth that Shakyamuni unveiled. A five-pronged vajra 位，是為永樂皇帝。永樂皇帝為鞏固政權，加強邊疆管理，在藏區建
such as the present lot also represents the Five Wisdoms of the Five 立官僧制度，封噶瑪噶舉派的第五世噶瑪巴活佛為「大法寶王」。北
Cosmic Buddhas, namely Tathatā-jñāna,Ādarśa-jñāna, Samatā-jñāna, 京宮廷内更設有專門的作坊製作法像和法器，用於賞賜大寶、大乘、
Pratyavekṣaṇa-jñāna, Kṛty-anuṣṭhāna-jñāna. 大慈三位法王，其中便有金剛鈴杵。永樂六年（1408年），永樂帝
賞賜大寶法王的清單記載：「鍍金銅鈴杵九副，每副四件，鍍用金
These Buddhist ritual instruments were brought from India to China 四錢，共三兩六錢，計三十六錢，黑斜皮骰全」，見《元以來西藏
as early as the Tang dynasty, as stated by E.H.Schafer, The Golden 地方與中央政府關係檔案史料彙編》，北京，1993年，第一冊，頁
Peaches of Samarkand: A Study of T’ang Exotics, Beijing, 1995, 105-106。
p.582. During the Ming dynasty, Zhu Di (1360-1424), who ruled as the
Yongle emperor, was introduced to Tibetan Buddhism and initiated into 「大明永樂年施」款的鈴杵現存三副，分別藏於布達拉宮、北京故宮
its practices around 1380, when he was enfeoffed as a King in Beijing. 博物院和西藏博物館， 見吳明娣著，《明清藏傳佛教法器鈴杵與漢藏
After usurping the throne from his nephew the Jianwen emperor, he 藝術交流》，載於《世界宗教研究》，2011年，第六期，頁46-52。西
sought to bolster his legitimacy through numerous channels. He saw 藏博物館所藏永樂款鈴杵為九股，見甲央及王明星編，《寶藏—中國
himself as a universal ruler to rival former Mongol claims to power 西藏歷史文物》，北京，2000年，第三冊，圖83，北京故宮博物院一
across the Eurasian continent and sponsored numerous religions 例，見《清宮藏傳佛教文物》，北京，1998年，圖版101，頁207。
including Tibetan Buddhism, which still had strong ties to the Mongol
military elite. The Yongle emperor welcomed Tibetan guests with great 還可比較一件十五世紀西藏製金剛鈴杵，為二世達賴喇嘛舊物，形
ceremony and gifts, and invited the fifth Gyalwa Kamapa of the Kagyu 制裝飾極似，藏於台北故宮博物院，見《院藏藏傳佛教文物》，台
school of Tibetan Buddhism to visit the capital as early as 1403. The 北，2016年，圖版V-58，頁226。宣德時期所製金剛鈴杵亦延續了永
demand, therefore, for works and ritual objects, such as the present 樂的形制，可以比較之，參考一件北京故宮藏明宣德款鈴，見同著
lot, increased at the beginning of the 15th century. Four sets of gilt 錄，北京，1998年，圖版102，頁208。
copper-alloy ghanta and vajra were recorded as Imperial gifts from the
Yongle emperor to the fifth Gyalwa Kamapa in 1408, see yuan yilai
Xizang defang yu Zhongyang zhengfu guanxi dangan shiliao huipian,
(Collection of Archives on Relationships between Tibetan region and
Central Government from the Yuan Dynasty), Beijing, 1993, vol.1,
pp.105-106.

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