Page 131 - Christie's Hong Kong Important Chinese Works Of Art May 30 2022

A more distantly related sculpture in New York’s Metropolitan
Museum of Art (1975.1.1442) depicts Vajradhara seated in a yogic
meditation posture and united in ecstatic sexual congress (yab-yum)
with Prajnaparamita, his energy consort, or shakti. Though it could
be Tibetan, the sculpture is in Yongle style, is thought to be Chinese,
and is believed to date to the early fifteenth century. The similarity
in style and general appearance of sculptures in Tibeto-Chinese style
and those in Sino-Tibetan style illustrates the difficulty in determining
the culture of origin of such works, particularly in the absence of
an imperial or other inscription. Yab-yum is generally understood
to represent the primordial (or mystical) union of Wisdom and
Compassion. In Buddhism the masculine form is active, representing
the compassion and skillful means (upaya) that must be developed
in order to reach Enlightenment. The feminine form is passive
and represents Wisdom (Prajna), which is also necessary to achieve
Enlightenment. United, the figures symbolize the union necessary to
overcome the veils of Maya , the false duality of object and subject.

Stylistically related to the present Vajradhara, a Yongle-marked, gilt-
bronze sculpture in the Rietberg Museum, Zurich (Inv.-Nr. BA 22),
represents the Bodhisattva Vajrasattva—known in Chinese as Jingang
Saduo Pusa—who also holds a vajra and a ghanta but does not cross the
hands before the chest; rather, grasping the vajra, Vajrasattva holds his
right hand before his chest but holds his left hand with the ghanta at
waist level, the arm extended slightly forward. In Vajrayana Buddhism,
Vajrasattva is regarded as the Tantric, or Esoteric, aspect of the
Bodhisattva Samantabhadra. Though both date to the Yongle period, Detail of current lot
本拍品細圖

底座平頂中央刻有六字「大明永樂年施」，表示本件是明朝永樂年間（1403–1424）的作品，而永樂年間可謂一段中國
藝術的輝煌時期。這種藏漢式青銅器在鑄造後刻款，文字通常如本件般由左向右讀。刻款不使用「製」而採「施」字，
意為賞賜，常見於同時期瓷器、漆器等世俗藝術的御款。

本件原有一塊現已迭失的銅或黃銅底板，蓋住空心佛像在底部的開口，隱藏內部，並固定住開光時放在佛像內的裝藏
供品。底板原位於底座內部淡淡的凸邊上，以摩擦力和紅蠟固定。底板的中心可能刻有一個金剛杵或十字金剛杵，並在
雙杵之間有蓮花圖樣，用來防護佛像及其內聖物。

佛像的開光是依經文詳細記載進行的繁複儀軌。開光最重要的部分則是裝藏，在神像內部放入供品，通常包括小型
經紙、咒鬘、琉璃珠、布、小青銅章、金屬或木製的小神像、種子以及其它各種殊勝之物。對信徒來說，這些供品賦予
佛像神識與法力，而其宗教性質使佛像上很少會註明日期、地點或其它的製造資訊。

與本件最接近的精美造像，莫過於另四尊位於西藏的永樂款銅鎏金金剛總持，其一藏於拉薩市大昭寺，另三尊位於
拉薩市布達拉宮。雖然本件與拉薩四尊看起來幾乎一模一樣，然而後者經細看卻有些許不同：佛像的面部以冷漆塗成
金色，呈啞光而非亮面，且唇色上紅，眼睛以黑白上色，頭髮以青金石染藍。在喜馬拉雅藝術資源網站上，紐約魯賓博
物館學者和前策展人傑夫·瓦特展示並描述另外五件私人收藏的漢地銅鎏金金剛總持，年代為十五世紀，風格類似於
本尊造像但無御款（物件編號 12441、23125、57394、57396 和 57397）。

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