Page 44 - Christies March 14 2017 Tibetan Bronzes NYC

232 In Vajrayana Buddhism, the Five Dhyani Buddhas represent the fve
A BRONZE FIGURE OF TATHAGATA RATNASAMBHAVA aspects of enlightenment: Vairocana (central) representing the dharma
realm; Amoghasiddhi (north) representing perfect practice; Amitabha (west)
SWAT VALLEY, 10TH CENTURY representing observation; Akshobhya (east) representing refection; and
6Ω in. (16.5 cm.) high Ratnasambhava (south) representing equanimity. The present fgure can be
identifed as Ratnasambhava by the pair of lions in his throne, which are his
$25,000-35,000 mounts, by his jeweled tiara and by his gesture of giving (varadamudra).

PROVENANCE Located along the upper stream of the Indus River in the heartland of the
Gandhara region, Swat Valley was on the crossroads between India and
Tokyo Collection, Japan, by 1981. Central Asia, and received a constant fow of Buddhist pilgrims. The earlier
Tokyo Art Market. Gandhara style is still echoed in the art of Swat Valley, as visible in the present
Acquired by the current owner from the above in December 2015. example. The parallel pleats of the tathagata’s robes and the composition of
his lion throne can be traced back to Buddhist fgures from Gandhara. The
EXHIBITED V-shaped pleats on his chest are associated with Kashmiri prototypes, as is
the use of the bronze with a high silver or tin content. His face refects a Gupta
“Gilt Bronze Buddha from Classic Chinese and Central & Southeast Asia,” idiom, with its rounded shape, small mouth and incised eyebrows. This fgure
Kuboso Memorial Museum of Arts, Izumi, 1988 perfectly embodies the various infuences combined by Swat artists to such
pleasing efect.
PUBLISHED

U. von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, p.97, fg.12D
Kuboso Memorial Museum of Arts, “Gilt bronze Buddha from Classic Chinese
and Central & Southeast Asia,” Izumi, 1988, no.84, p.95
Himalayan Art Resource (himalayanart.org), item no. 24310

斯瓦特縣地區 十世紀 寶生佛銅像

U. von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, p.97, fg.12D