Page 20 - CHRISTIE'S Himalayan and SOutheast Asian Works of Art 09/13/17

ANOTHER PROPERTY Like the lotus, whose pristine blossom rises out of the mud, Padmapani
has transcended the pain and impurities of the material world, reaching
610 enlightenment in body, speech, and mind. The bodhisattva forgoes entering
A BRONZE FIGURE OF PADMAPANI nirvana until he has released all sentient beings from the cycle of death and
rebirth. This rare eighth-century bronze fgure of Padmapani, an emanation of
SWAT VALLEY, 8TH CENTURY Avalokiteshvara, displays the convergence of post-Gandharan and early Gupta
8ƒ in. (20.8 cm.) high aesthetic ideals that took place in the Kashmiri/Swat Valley region during
the sixth to the eighth centuries. The Swat Valley is located along the upper
$80,000-120,000 stream of the Indus River in what was the ancient region of Gandhara. Serving
as a link between India and Central Asia, the valley witnessed a constant fow
斯瓦特縣地區 八世紀 蓮華手菩薩銅像 of Buddhist pilgrims, becoming an important melting pot of cultures and an
epicenter of Buddhist art production.
PROVENANCE
The present fgure displays a muscular body and a dhoti with long looping
Sotheby’s London, 9 May 1977, lot 36. pleats – typical traits of the Hellenistic features of Gandhara – while the feshy
London Art Market. contours, clipped waist and large almond-shaped eyes suggest infuences
Acquired by the present owner from the above, 1992. from the Gupta sculptural school. Compare the trifoliate crown, beaded
necklace, facial features and corporal modeling with a Swat Valley bronze
EXHIBITED fgure of Shakyamuni in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1985.77). The
present example is testament to a unique historical moment from which only
Gilgamesh Group Inaugural Exhibition, Setsu Gatodo Gallery, a small number of bronzes survive.
Nihonbashi, Japan, November 29th - December 1st, 1979. Cat. 48.

PUBLISHED

Gilgamesh Group Inaugural Exhibition, Setsu Gatodo Gallery,
Nihonbashi, 1979, cat. 48.
U. Von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, pp.90 – 91,
fg. 9H.
Himalayan Art Resource (himalayanart.org), item no. 24324

Cover and illustration, U. Von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, p.91, fg. 9H.
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