Page 22 - Christie's Hong Kong May 31, 2017 Fine Buddhist Works of Art

2805 Continued fig. 1 Collection of the Yunnan Provincial Museum
圖一 雲南省博物館藏品
The inscription can be translated:

Second year of Tianli (1329), Yuanji Shrine, Monk Purui

The current figure is related to a group of Dali Kingdom
sculptures depicting ferocious deities, but notable for its
comparatively finer and more complex modelling. Two were
discovered in the crypt of Qianxun Pagoda in Dali: one is a small
seated Vajrakila figure, rather crudely modelled, illustrated in
Zhang Yongkang, A Research on the Sculptures of Da-Li Buddha,
Taipei, 2004, fig. 3, p. 9; the other is a standing Vajrakila, with
very similar facial features to the present lot but also less refined,
especially in the modelling of its clothing and hair, illustrated in
ibid, fig. 57, p. 51 (fig. 1). Two are in the Asian Art Museum
of San Francisco, both depicting Mahakala and stylistically closer
to the current lot, illustrated in Jin Shen, Haiwai ji gangtai cang
lidai foxiang, Beijing, 2005, p. 534. The figure closest in style to
the current lot is the Lokapala Vaisravana in the British Museum
(1972,0301.1)(fig. 2). Not only are the facial features in similar
style, it is also interesting to note the almost identical treatment of
the knees on both figures. Another interesting feature is the snakes
emerging from the skulls worn on the heads of both figures.
These details could point to a similar manufacture date for these
two figures. Although the interior of this figure bears a dated
inscription, it is not certain whether it is contemporary with the
manufacture, or added by a later generation. Notwithstranding,
the date of this figure would not be later than 14th century, and is
worthy of further study.

本尊與幾件大理王朝的忿怒相銅像相關，但造像風格更為細緻繁
複。其中兩件於大理千尋塔出土：一件是橛金剛坐像，造像風格稚
拙，著錄於張永康著《大理佛》，台北，2004年，頁9，圖3；另一
件是橛金剛立像，其面容與本尊非常相近，但整體感覺略為粗糙，
著錄於前揭書，頁51，57號（圖一）。另外兩件藏於舊金山亞洲
藝術館的大黑天像與本尊風格更為接近，著錄於金申著《海外及港
台藏歷代佛像》，北京，2005年，頁534，但還是沒有本尊的風格
成熟。與本尊風格最接近的是大英博物館藏的一件鎏金銅毘沙門天
像 (1972,0301.1)（圖二），此像不但面容的處理與本尊有異曲同工
之處，有幾個細節的處理亦值得注意: 膝蓋的刻劃手法非常獨特而
且兩件完全一樣，頭上骷髏皆有小蛇從兩側探出，從這些小細節看
來，應該是同一時期的作品。本尊雖有紀年款，但不知是否當時鑄
造後即刻上，抑或是後人所刻，不過可以確定它的製作年代不會晚
於元代，是一件非常有研究價值的作品。

fig. 2 A gilt-bronze figure of Lokapala Vaisravana
© The Trustees of the British Museum
圖二 鎏金銅毘沙門天像 大英博物館藏品

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