Page 24 - Wrathful Images

Above:
Hevajra in situ, Bronze, Royal Academy of Art, 2012, (Hufton+Crow/Alamy Stock Photo)
喜金剛（展廳實拍），《Bronze》，皇家美術學院， 2012年

Above: Above:
he dynamic tantric group depicts the Vajrayana Buddhist meditational deity Hevajra with eight faces, Fig. 1: A gilt-bronze figure of Yamantaka, early Ming dynasty, Fig. 2: Bodhisattva, Qutansi, Qinghai Province, China; Ming
Sotheby’s New York, 25th March 1999, lot 122.
dynasty, Yongle reign mark (1403-1424); gilt bronze; 53½ x 26
Tfour legs, and sixteen arms, a skull bowl (Skt. kapala, Tib. thod-pa) in each hand, some retaining 圖一：御製銅鎏金大威德金剛，明初， x 17¾ in., 136 x 66 x 45 cm; Musée Cernuschi, Paris; M.C. 5173
separately-cast attributes including a cat, a lion, and a horse. Hevajra is wearing regal jewelry, skull- 1999年3月25日，編號122 圖二：菩薩，中國青海省，瞿曇寺，《大明永樂年施》款，銅
crowns, a garland of severed heads and a bone apron with pendant bells, his consort Nairatmya (Tib. 鎏金，136 × 66 × 45公分，賽努奇博物館，巴黎，藏品編
Dagmema) holding a skull bowl and flaying knife (Skt. kartika, Tib. drigu), and wearing a skull crown, 號M.C. 5173
a human skull necklace, and a bone apron with pendant bells, the deities stepping to the right (Skt.
alidhasana) on a double lotus pedestal, the consecration cavity within the figures sealed with a gilt-bronze
plug disguised as a section of jewelry in the middle of Hevajra’s back.

This rare and finely cast gilt-bronze is the largest recorded Hevajra and consort from the early Ming
dynasty, and a highly important imperial commission. While at least five Yongle gilt-bronzes of Hevajra
are known—all cast in the small transportable size typical of imperial gifts, three of which are in Tibetan 此組造像塑密宗本尊喜金剛，八面、四腿、十六臂，各 347C-F；此尊大像必龕於寺，或專為漢地佛寺所造。
monastery collections, see Ulrich von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, Hong Kong, 2001, Vol. 手捧一嘎巴拉盌，部分盌上另設法器，可見一貓、一 有明初銅鎏金藏傳造像七尊，均為漢地佛寺定造，尺
II, pls 347C-F, this large temple sculpture is likely to have been commissioned for a shrine within China. 獅、一馬尚存，皆單獨鑄造。喜金剛著錦衣華服、珠寶 寸碩大，頭冠、圍裙、瓔珞及蓮台可比此尊。七尊皆
Compare the skull and chakra-wheel crowns, aprons, jewelry, and lotus pedestals of seven large early 瓔珞，頭頂骷髏冠，肩披人頭花環，腰裹骨圍裙，裙襬 由Gumpel收藏釋出，1904年經德魯奧大樓拍賣：
Ming tantric gilt-bronzes formerly in the Gumpel Collection that were offered at Hôtel Drouot in 1904, all 垂鈴，所擁無我明妃持嘎巴拉盌及金剛鉞刀，亦戴骷 其一，擁妃大威德金剛，80公分，後售於紐約蘇富比
of which were likely commissioned for shrines in China, including an 80 cm Vajrabhairava and consort 髏冠、人頭項鍊並穿垂鈴骨圍裙。主尊以右展立姿站 1999年3月25日，編號122（圖一）；其二，獨雄大威德
later sold in these rooms, 25th March 1999, lot 122 (fig. 1); a 98.8 cm early Ming gilt-bronze Ekavira 於雙層蓮台上，內膛中空，可藏經卷，以銅鎏金板封 金剛，98.8公分，後售於香港佳士得2016年11月30
Vajrabhairava sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30th November 2016, lot 3234; a 94 cm Vajrabhairava and 印，封板與瓔珞融為一體，位於喜金剛脊背中央。 日，編號3234；其三，擁妃大威德金剛，94公分，後
consort at Nagel Auktionen, 23rd June 2021, lot 8; a 70 cm Shadbhuja Mahakala and a Guhyasamaja 售於德國納高2021年6月23日，編號8；其四、其五，
in Ulrich von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, pls. 151A-D; a Mahachakra Vajrapani 遍覽明初造像記錄，此尊喜金剛擁妃像尺寸魁碩無 六臂大黑天、密集金剛，各70公分，錄烏爾里希・馮・
now in the Linden-Museum, Stuttgart, ibid, pl. 151B; and an Ekavira Vajrabhairava present whereabouts 雙，鑄工上乘，實屬御製傑作。且比永樂銅鎏金喜金 施羅德，《Indo-Tibetan Bronzes》，香港，1981年，
unknown but see Jeff Watt, www.himalyanart.org, item no. 30430. Compare also a 57.8 cm early Ming 剛像五尊，皆小巧易攜，乃典型皇家禮賜，其中三尊 圖版151A-D；其六，大輪金剛手，現藏林登博物館，
gilt-bronze Chaturbhuja Mahakala sold in these rooms, 26th March 1998, lot 161: and the Bodhimanda 奉於西藏寺院，見烏爾里希・馮・施羅德，《Buddhist 斯圖加特，錄前述出處，圖版151B；其七，獨雄大威
Foundation Panjarnata Mahakala in this catalogue (lot 1). Sculptures in Tibet》，香港，2001年，卷2，圖版 德金剛，現存處不詳，可見傑夫・瓦特，喜馬拉雅藝術

42 SOTHEBY’S COMPLETE CATALOGUING AVAILABLE AT SOTHEBYS.COM/N11409 43