Page 66 - March 23 2022 Boinghams NYC Indian and Himalayan Art

THE PROPERTY OF AN EAST COAST COLLECTOR
432
A LARGE BRONZE FIGURE OF PADMASAMBHAVA
TIBET, 18TH CENTURY
13√ in. (35.2cm.) high
$15,000-20,000
PROVENANCE:
Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York, 23-25 May 1979, lot 99.
LITERATURE:
Himalayan Art Resources, item no. 24747.
This large, fierce, and finely-detailed bronze depicts Padmasambhava, the
storied Tantric mystic credited with establishing Buddhism in Tibet. In the
present lot, Padmasambhava sits in lalitasana, the pose of royal ease, exuding
importance and authority. He holds a vajra, a stylized thunderbolt. His ornate
robes are resplendent with floral motifs, indicating the level of technical
expertise required to produce this devotional object. He also has multiple
items associated with exorcism, including a khatvanga, or magic staff, and the
raven feather-topped crown.
Padmasambhava is often depicted with these items because of his role in
vanquishing the demons that threatened the building of a Buddhist monastery.
In 747, King Tri-srong-destan invited Padmasambhava to Tibet from Uddiyana,
a region in present-day Pakistan. Padmasambhava reportedly exorcised
the demons threatening the building of the monastery at Samye, one of the
first major Buddhist monasteries in Tibet. The mystic also mediated local
conflict between indigenous religion and Buddhism by incorporating local
gods into the Buddhist pantheon as protector deities, helping to popularize
Buddhism in Tibet. He is also known for translating numerous Indian texts
into Tibetan, and for leaving behind secret writings for his followers to
uncover. Padmasambhava is closely associated with the Nyingma sect, one
of the oldest Tibetan Buddhist sects who trace their lineage to the Samye
monastery. They honor Padmasambhava as “The Second Buddha,” as one of
the foundational figures of the Buddhist faith.
The work is inscribed:
om ah hum vajra guru padma siddhi hum [guru mantra]
Homage to the the Glorious Subjugator of all that Appears and Exists!

The old and learned one was made by Mana Shakya.

西藏 十八世紀 銅蓮花生大士坐像
來源:
紐約蘇富比Parke Bernet, 1979年5月23-25日, 拍品編號99
出版:
“喜馬拉雅藝術資源” (Himalayan Art Resources), 編號24747

(reverse)
64 65