Page 36 - Bonhams Himalayan, Indian Art march 2015

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A gilt copper alloy and inlaid turquoise figure of Manjushri
Tibet, 15th century
Holding the silver wire lotus stems supporting the sword (khadga) and turquoise-inset sutra
(pustaka), wearing an incised lower garment and adorned with lavishly inlaid crown jewels.
11 1/2 in. (29.5cm) high
$60,000 - 80,000
This remarkable figure of Manjushri is an enigma within the oeuvre of Himalayan sculpture.
While representing the finest sculptural qualities of the 15th century, the artist responsible
went further to embellish the figure and base with turquoise to a level that has no precedent.
Believed to house mana, turquoise is highly prized in Tibet and used to enhance sculptures
and rituals. The recessed pockets and sutra element at the left shoulder are cast in anticipation
of the inlay, demonstrating that the current form was clearly intended at the time of production.
A closely related sculpture of Vajrabhairava in the Museum Rietberg (see Uhlig, On a Path to
Enlightenment, Zurich, 1995, p. 170, no. 114) enjoys a similar application to the crown and
necklace, but stops short of the base. Other more restrained, but notable comparisons can
be drawn from a 15th-century figure of Syamatara sold by Christie’s, New York, 17 September
1999, lot 93, which also has a turquoise inset on the flowers and minor spots on the upper
rim of the base, and another in the Potala Palace Collection published in Berger, et. al, Tibet:
Treasures from the Roof of the World, Santa Ana, 2003, p. 186, no. 82.
The facial type and treatment of the hairline beneath the crown are almost identical to a figure
of Syamatara, formerly in the Goldman Collection, sold by Sotheby’s, New York, 21 March
2002, lot 158. A further indication of the importance of the casting is found in the gilded base
plate finely incised with a visvajra, which remains undisturbed.
Referenced
HAR – himalayanart.org/image.cfm/41233.html
Provenance
Sotheby’s, London, 9 July, 1979, lot 54
Private English Collection, 1979-2014

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