Page 300 - Bonhams Chinese Art London May 2013

Various Owners 各方藏家

268 w
A large Tibetan thangka
17th century
The bright colours painted on silk depicting a
twenty-one-headed incarnation of a Buddhist
deity surrounded by a circle of arms each holding a
small haloed Buddha and flanked by four mythical
winged beasts, in union with a multi-armed female
counterpart, all encircled by nine Buddhist deities
floating on lotus pedestals amid bright fire scrolls and
three further bodhisattvas and one Buddha above, all
set within a silk border also enclosing a front-facing
dragon-head with bulging eyes and flowing mane,
framed and glazed.
The thangka overall 81cm x 142cm (32in x 56in)
£15,000 - 25,000
HK$180,000 - 290,000 CNY140,000 - 240,000

十七世紀 西藏唐卡

The central figure in the thangka can probably be
identified as Mahottama Heruka of the Nyingma
pantheon, a powerful deity who assists the Buddhist
practitioner in overcoming obstructions to spiritual
advancement, fuelled by the energy of compassion.
He is here shown in union with his female
counterpart Krodheshvari, the Female Lord of Wrath.

For a similar depiction of Mahottama Heruka
on a thangka dated to the 17th century, see
J.C.Huntingdon and D.Bangdel, The Circle of Bliss:
Buddhist Meditational Art, Columbus, 2003, no.139.

A26r9ar*e giltwood figure of Avalokitesvara with

mandorla and shrine
The shrine and mandorla 13th century, the figure
14th century
The painted and gilt shrine with five steps variously
carved with vajras, scrolls and lotus lappets leading
up to the platform raised on slender columns and
edged with lappets, the lacquered and gilt mandorla
fitting into the shrine platform and intricately
carved with a kirtimukha flanked by attendants
and surrounded by further floating Buddhist figures
and projecting scrolls on each side above a grinning
makara, each above a figure riding a roaring beast
above an elephant, the lacquered four-armed figure
of Avalokiteshvara seated in the lotus position with
two hands clasped in front of his chest and two
other hands holding a necklace and a lotus flower,
three fitted boxes.
The mandorla and shrine 45cm (17¾in) high, the
Avalokiteshvara 18cm (7in) high (6).
£20,000 - 30,000
HK$240,000 - 350,000 CNY190,000 - 280,000

木雕描金彩四臂觀音佛龕
佛龕十三世紀 四臂觀音像十四世紀

Samples from each of the figure, mandorla and
base have been taken and radiocarbon dated at the
Radiocarbon Laboratory of the ETH, Switzerland,
with the following results:
Figure: 95% confidence level dating AD 1300 - 1410
Mandorla: 95% confidence level dating AD 1150 -
1280
Base: 95% confidence level dating AD 1220 - 1300

瑞士聯邦理工學院對佛像、背光及底座的樣本進
行了放射性碳檢測，顯示結果如下：
佛像：95%機率介於公元1300至1410年
背光：95%機率介於公元1150至1280年
底座：95%機率介於公元1220至1300年

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