Page 215 - Bonhams NYC Indian and Himalayan Art March 2019

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A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF KUNZANG AKOR A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF KUNZANG AKOR
TIBET, 14TH/15TH CENTURY TIBET, CIRCA 14TH CENTURY
Himalayan Art Resources item no.61927 Himalayan Art Resources item no.61928
7 in. (17.9 cm) high 4 3/4 in. (12 cm) high
$8,000 - 12,000 $2,000 - 3,000

西藏 十四/十五世紀 銅鎏金貢桑阿闊像 西藏 約十四世紀 銅鎏金貢桑阿闊像

Among Bonpo deities, Kunzang Akor is one of the most popular and The caster of this endearing bronze depicts Kunzang Akor with his
frequently represented in bronze sculptures. He is often recognized by characteristic yungdrung and lotus vase by the shoulder and the
the presence of the Tibetan letter “A” on his chest. Tibetan letter “A” on the chest. The broad, swollen lotus petals, and
the figure’s wide forehead are indicative of a 14th-century style also
As explained by Per Kvaerne, “A is the final letter of the Tibetan found in an example in the Navin Kumar Collection (HAR 70643).
alphabet, inherent in all the consonants; it is a phonetic symbol of
Primeval or Absolute Reality” (Per Kvaerne, The Bon Religion of Tibet,
Boston, 1996, p.29). See another gilt bronze figure of Kunzang Akor
with a similar slender body type in the Asian Art Museum of San
Francisco (B87B1).

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