Page 20 - 2020 September 23 Himalyan and Southeast Asian Works of Art Bonhams

608
A BRASS FIGURE OF AVALOKITESHVARA PADMAPANI
NORTH INDIA, HIMACHAL PRADESH, 11TH/12TH CENTURY
7 1/4 in. (18.5 cm) high
$20,000 - 30,000

印度北部 喜馬偕爾邦 十一/十二世紀 蓮華手觀音銅像

Bordering Kashmir, the artists of Himachal Pradesh responded to
burgeoning demand from West Tibet in the 11th and 12th centuries
for Buddhist bronzes. This svelte Avalokiteshvara with a lustrous patina
is one such example. A distinctive feature of Himachal bronzes from
this time is its prominent sash, which is attached to the headdress and
forms a big loop in front of the bodhisattva’s shins. This is repeated in
many contemporaneous Brahmanical images from Himachal Pradesh,
such as von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981,
pp.144-151, nos.24D, 25E, 26C, F, G, and 27B, D. Also see a closely
related example in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, published
as West Tibetan in 1990 (Pal, Art of Tibet, Los Angeles, 1990, p.197,
no.S7), but now attributed to Himachal Pradesh.

Provenance
Ex-Private German Collection, acquired between 1955-1987
(published in 1987)

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