Page 78 - Bonhams Image of Devotion Hong Kong December 2, 2021

(detail)

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A POLYCHROMED WOOD PANEL WITH LOTUS-BORNE The stylistic treatment of the vajra, the Buddhas’ robes, and the lotus
BUDDHAS AND VAJRA petals are consistent with paintings and sculptures created during the
TIBET, 13TH/14TH CENTURY
Himalayan Art Resources item no.4512 13th-14th centuries. Compare the carved vajra to a 14th-century gilt
18.7 x 75.4 cm (7 3/8 x 29 3/4 in.) bronze example published in Bigler, Before Yongle, 2015, pp.124-5,
no.29. Also see a sutra cover from the MacLean Collection featuring
HKD80,000 - 120,000 a similar design of two rows of deities within foliate roundels emerging
from an auspicious vase (Sellig-Brown, Protecting Wisdom, 2012,
西藏 十三/十四世紀 木質彩繪十二佛飾板 pp.160-1, no.35).

Carved with a pleasing symmetrical design, this panel centers on a Provenance
vase of plenty (purna kalasha), from which sprout meandering vines Ex-John Stewart and Arnold Liebermann, 2000s
forming two rows of roundels, each encircling a Confession Buddha.
A lotus-borne vajra, the eponymous symbol of Vajrayana Buddhism,
also rises directly from the vase. The floral sprays carry an abundance
of lily pads and laden blossoms, conveying a great bounty arising from
the obscured divine waters contained within the vase.

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