Page 55 - CHRISTIE'S Himalayan and SOutheast Asian Works of Art 09/13/17

PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION, TEXAS

629
A GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF MANJUSHRI

TIBET, 18TH CENTURY
5Ω in. (14 cm.) high

$18,000-25,000

西藏 十八世紀 鎏金銅文殊菩薩像

PROVENANCE

with Doris Wiener, New York.
Acquired by the family of the present owner from the above,
3 November 1972.

EXHIBITED

Collector’s Gallery VI, McNay Art Institute, San Antonio, Texas,
November 4 - December 28 1972.

PUBLISHED

Himalayan Art Resource (himalayanart.org),
item no. 24332

Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, sits in dhyanasana
on a double-lotus base with his hands held before him in
dharmachakramudra. A pair of lotus blossoms fank his shoulders,
the right one holds a book, representing the attainment of
transcendent wisdom and the left one supporting a sword,
symbolizing the power of knowledge to cut through ignorance
and illusion.

This fgure was on loan to the McNay Art Institute in San
Antonio as part of the museum’s Collector’s Gallery exhibition.
Annually, the Friends of the McNay would host an exhibition
for the patrons of the museum, ofering them an opportunity to
collect from a wide array of categories, ranging from African and
pre-Columbian to silver and Tibetan works. One of a handful of
Tibetan objects ofered that year, this eye-catching work was
purchased the very night of the exhibition’s opening dinner, and
has remained in the family ever since.

PROPERTY FROM A DISTINGUISHED PRIVATE WEST COAST COLLECTION

630
A GILT AND POLYCHROMED CLAY COMPOSITE MASK OF A
MALE FIGURE

TIBET OR NEPAL, CIRCA 18TH CENTURY
7√ in. (20 cm.) high

$8,000-12,000

西藏或尼泊爾 約十八世紀 鎏金加彩合泥面具

PROVENANCE

Private West Coast Collection.
Acquired by the present owner from the above on 25 August 1995.

PUBLISHED

Himalayan Art Resource (himalayanart.org), item no. 24333

Masks used in both religious ritual and theatrical dance play an important role
in Himalayan Buddhism. This rare clay-composite mask depicts a human-like
face and may be that of a donor, or possibly a male deity.

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