Page 50 - Bonhams Presencer Buddhist Art Collection Oct. 2 2018
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TWO COPPER ALLOY VAJRAS
TIBET, CIRCA 12TH CENTURY
Himalayan Art Resources item nos.61683 & 61684
20 cm (8 in.), the larger
HK$25,000 - 35,000
西藏 約十二世纪 銅金剛杵二支
The two robust vajras have four prongs emerging from the mouths
of makaras converging on a central prong, evoking the doctrines
of the ‘four immeasurables’ and ‘four doors to liberation’. One end
symbolizes the five karmic poisons, while the other symbolizes their
transmuted ascendance through Buddhism’s wisdom. The surfaces
of these vajras indicate extensive ritual use. Compare with a closely
related example sold at Sotheby’s, New York, 19 March 2014, lot 58
and another from a private collection (HAR item no.81861).
Provenance
Private European Collection, 1970s/80s
