Page 40 - Bonhams Presencer Buddhist Art Collection Oct. 2 2018

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A BONE APRON ORNAMENT OF THE FIVE
PRESIDING BUDDHAS
NEPAL, 18TH CENTURY
Himalayan Art Resources item no.61720
15 cm (6 in.) high

HK$10,000 - 15,000

尼泊爾 十八世紀 五方佛法衣骨片

By 1st century BCE, carved stupa railings depict Shakyamuni seated
in heaven, communicating a buddha’s existence on multiple planes.
Mahayana develops an expansive view of the cosmos, identifying
parallel universes each with inhabiting Buddhas. This coalesces into
a system of Five Directional Buddhas encompassing the universe. All
deities are subsequently codified into belonging to the family of one
of these five Presiding Buddhas. This intricate bone apron ornament
depicts all five with corresponding hand gestures. From top to
bottom, they are Amoghasiddhi, Amitabha, Vairocana, Akshobhya,
and Ratnasambhava. The carver has deftly linked all five with a single
bifurcating lotus stem, poignantly symbolizing the unified Buddha-
essence they manifest.

Provenance
James Defelice

38 | BONHAMS