Page 96 - Bonhams IMages of Devotion, Hong Kong Nov 30 2022

1033
A POLYCHROMED TERRACOTTA BHAIRAVA LIBATION VESSEL
NEPAL, 15TH CENTURY
Himalayan Art Resources item no. 4719
59 cm (23 1/4 in.) high
HKD400,000 - 600,000
尼泊爾 十五世紀 泥塑彩繪陪臚酒器

During the beloved annual Indrajatra and Pachali Bhairabjatra festivals taking place
in the Kathmandu Valley every September, libation vessels in the form of Bhairava
are often displayed in front of temples and private dwellings. Such vessels typically
take the form of a Bhairava mask, made of either wood or copper alloy, and a
round earthen pot positioned behind the mask. The pot is filled with beer or rice
wine and a bamboo pipe protrudes through Bhairava’s mouth to distribute the
drink, an act regarded as prasad, a divine gift, to devotees as a blessing from the
god. Occasionally, the pot itself is shaped into the face of Bhairava and painted in
various colors, which the present lot exemplifies.

Distinguished by exceptionally large eyes, including the third eye, Bhairava’s
imposing face is adorned with a skull crown featuring a miniature head of Indra
flanked by four cobras. The largely intact polychrome decoration and the raised
outline of the eyes and crinkled ridge-line of the nose accentuate his powerful
gaze and demand for reverence.

Such Bhairava-shaped terracotta vessels are extremely rare. The only direct
comparison from the period can be found in the Los Angeles County Museum
of Art (M.88.224.1). For other related wood Bhairava masks, see Bonhams, New
York, 19 March 2012, lot 1094, and 13 September 2011, lot 1008. Also compare
with a larger mask published in Nies, Spirit of Compassion, Antwerp, 1995, pp.
28-9.

Provenance
Private European Collection

94 | BONHAMS