Page 57 - Bonhams Presencer Buddhist Art Collection Oct. 2 2018

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A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF A MAHASIDDHA This sculpture is a classic representation of the Mahasiddha, a
(POSSIBLY NAROPA) powerful Indian yogi rich in antinomian insight. Avoiding normative
TIBET, CIRCA 17TH CENTURY symmetry, he sways to the left while meditating on a flayed human
Himalayan Art Resources item no.61628 skin that covers the cushioned platform. With similar accouterments,
12 cm (4 3/4 in.) high this figure may represent Naropa, the Indian root mahasiddha of
the Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism. However, convention also
HK$350,000 - 450,000 suggests Naropa wears a flayed skin over his shoulders (see Rochell,
Faces of Tibet, New York, no.26).

西藏 約十七世紀 銅鎏金大成就者像（或為那洛巴） Provenance
Frank Ormond, London, 2002
As discussed by Huntington, “Vajrayana Buddhism shares many
elements of the Mahayana path, but introduces the belief that
enlightenment can be obtained in a single lifetime of intense arduous
practice. Transformational meditations [...] force the psyche of the
practitioner into new avenues of awareness. The ideal practitioner
is still the Bodhisattva but in a new and radically different guise [...]
The Mahasiddha, or “Great Adept,” [who] comes to be known as
a Vidyadhara, or “Bearer of Esoteric Knowledge”. (Huntington &
Bangdel, The Circle of Bliss, Ohio, 2003, p.21.)

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