Page 58 - Sporer Collection of Himalayan bronzes
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20 Chakrasamvara, which translates to wheel of bliss, is the principal tantra
A GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF CHAKRASAMVARA AND VAJRAYOGINI of the Anuttarayoga Wisdom classifcation of the Vajrayana Buddhist
NEPAL, 15TH CENTURY Tradition. Chakrasamvara is one of the most popular deities in Tantric
Buddhism in the Himalayan regions since the 11th century. He can appear
He with four faces and twelve arms holding weapons and ritual in several dozen different forms, from simple to complex and peaceful to
implements, his principle arms around her and holding a vajra wrathful, which makes it necessary to rely on the descriptive literature in
and ghanta, wearing multiple garlands of severed heads around his the Sanskrit and Tibetan languages to identify the particular forms. Adding
shoulders and torso, she wearing an ornately layered skirt and beaded to the complexity, there are more than ffty different traditions of these
festooned jewelry, standing with her right leg wrapped around him, forms in Tibetan Buddhism. They are meant to emphasize different types
holding a kapala in her left hand behind his head and raising a curved of meditation practice that are suited for specifc types of emotional and
knife in her right, her head fung as they gaze at each other psychological characteristics in the tantric practitioners.
9Ω in. (24 cm.) high
Distinctly Newari in style, the present work demonstrates the infuence
$300,000-500,000 of the Gupta period aesthetic on Nepalese art. Compare with a similarly
modeled work from the Zimmerman Collection (P. Pal, Art of the
PROVENANCE: Himalayas: Treasures from Nepal and Tibet, 1991, p.55, fg.19.). Both
works demonstrate the feshy body, rounded faces and prominent features
The Sporer Collection, New Jersey, acquired from Christie, Manson which create a sensuality and naturalism emblematic of both Gupta
& Woods, New York, 19 June 1973, lot 166 and Newari sculpture. Also important in the stylistic and iconographic
development of this Nepalese aesthetic were the Pala period Buddhist
PUBLISHED: centers in northeastern India. Works of sculpture from these ateliers display
a graceful, languid posture and a fascination with elaborate jewelry and
Himalayan Art Resource (himalayanart.org), item no. 24033 ornamentation, also seen in the present sculpture.
