Page 15 - Sporer Collection of Himalayan bronzes

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A GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF GARUDA
NEPAL, 13TH/14TH CENTURY

Standing in a slight tribhanga with his hands
placed delicately at his chest in anjalimudra,
backed by his folded wings, adorned with
serpentine jewelry and sacred thread, his
benevolent expression surmounted by an
elaborate chignon fastened with a jeweled tiara
4√ in. (12.5 cm.) high

$25,000-35,000

PROVENANCE:

The Sporer Collection, New Jersey, acquired
from Christie, Manson & Woods, New York,
21 November 1979, lot 361

PUBLISHED:

Himalayan Art Resource (himalayanart.org),
item no. 24016

The Garuda is a half-bird, half-human creature,
that appears in both Hinduism and Buddhism.
In Hinduism, Garuda is the mount of the god
Vishnu. Vishnu was the main deity of the north
Indian Gupta rulers, and Garuda was their dynastic
symbol. This royal association was adopted by
Licchavi royalty in Nepal, becoming a quintessential
icon in Nepalese religious imagery.

Garuda is most commonly depicted kneeling on
one knee or in fight with Vishnu on his back: see
an 11th century gilt copper repoussé example
in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (2012.463).
Standing images of Garuda are rarer, particularly
in Nepal. As a result, examples such as a 9th/10th
century stone Garuda in the Metropolitan Museum
of Art (1983.555.1), are highly revered. The
exquisitely sensitive modeling which evokes a
tangible sweetness makes the present work an
even greater rarity.

THE SPORER COLLECTION OF HIMALAYAN SCULPTURE 13