Page 40 - Fine Chinese Works of Art Bonhams Hong Kong May 2018

The powerfully cast figure of Vajrabhairava with his consort Vajravetali 金剛像黃銅鎏金，主尊、外臂、明妃、魔眾、蓮座分體鑄造而成，左
is a very fine example of Buddhist sculptures commissioned under 展姿而立，九頭三十四臂，九頭表示九種鎮壓閻王的經咒，分三層排
the fertile cross-influence between the Imperial Court and Tibetan 列，正中最大最高的頭為大水牛頭，血盆大口，象徵閻王；中間頭為
monastic seats of power during the Qing dynasty. 如來相，象徵其由阿彌陀佛化身而來。最高頭為文殊菩薩本像，象徵
慈善和平。另有六面對稱排布水牛頭兩側。頭頂紅發上豎，象徵忿
Yamantaka Vajrabhairava is a wrathful form of Manjushri, the 怒。主二臂抱明妃，外伸三十二臂，皆持法器。明妃右手持鉞刀，左
Bodhisattva of Discriminating Wisdom, and is a destroyer of ignorance 手持嘎巴拉碗，左腿勾在主尊腰間，右肢踩飛禽。主尊十六足象徵十
and fear of death. He is one of the principal meditation deities in the 六空，左右腳各踩八禽八獸。頭戴骷髏冠；上身飾項圈瓔珞，頸掛人
Gelug Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism founded by Tsongkhapa (1357- 頭蔓，下身佩瓔珞，下承蓮座，蓮瓣挺拔，做工精細。
1419). The Gelug lineage became the dominant religious power in
Tibet during the 17th century and was later favoured by the Qing 此尊大威德金剛工藝精湛，鑄造精良，體現出典型的十八世紀漢藏風
Court. 格的同時，又迎合了清代宮廷的審美，其渾圓的蓮瓣以及對主尊氣勢
恢弘的表現手法，皆是清代宮廷與西藏宗教藝術相互影響的典型例
Tsongkhapa and the Qing emperors also promoted themselves as 證。
manifestations of the bodhisattva Manjushri, thus contributing to
the proliferation of images of Vajrabhairava within China. During the 大威德金剛，梵語稱「閻曼達嘎」，漢語可稱為大威德明王，亦可直
18th century, the Qianlong emperor further maintained direct links 稱閻魔敵，藏密認為祂是文殊菩薩之憤怒相的化身。「威」表示降伏
with the Dalai and Panchen Lamas for both religious and political 惡魔的威猛力量，「德」則代表智慧摧破煩惱業障，為五大明王之
considerations, underlined by the construction of a large number of 一，也是藏傳佛教尊奉的主要本尊之一。文殊菩薩是宗喀巴的本尊，
temples in and around Beijing. Images of Vajrabhairava, therefore, 因此大威德金剛像在宗喀巴創立的格魯派受到極大的尊崇。格魯派在
carried both religious and Imperial connotations, endorsing the 漢地稱為黃教，至十七世紀，已經成為西藏地區最有影響力的派別，
Mandate of Heaven of the emperor. 並在後來受到清廷的扶持。

This impressive and heavily-cast figure of Vajrabhairava is skilfully 藏傳佛教稱清朝皇帝為文殊皇帝，乾隆皇帝更是利用文殊菩薩化身，
constructed in several pieces and fitted together. Compare a similar 以政教合一方式對西藏地區進行統治。他對藏傳佛教格魯派尤其扶
figure illustrated by Hung Shih Chang and Jessica P.P. Hsu, eds., 持，並以「興黃教即所以安眾蒙古」這一根本治國方略的繼承、延續
Buddhist Art from Rehol: Tibetan Buddhist Images and Ritual Objects 和發展而維護了帝國的大一統；因雍正皇帝篤信佛教，乾隆皇帝年幼
from the Qing Dynasty Summer Palace at Chengde, Taipei, 1999, 時便成長在濃厚的佛教氛圍中，從小就跪受密法。至乾隆一朝，清宮
p.122, pl.46. 內外，大小佛堂不計其數，以供帝王隨時禮佛修法。此時清宮內務府
造辦處、中正殿念經處以及西藏僧俗領袖製作或進貢了大量佛像、唐
Compare the modelling, construction and style of the present figure 卡、法器，此尊大威德金剛既是典型一例。
with two slightly smaller examples of Vajrabhairava in ecstatic union,
18th century; the first which was sold at Christie’s New York, 15th-16th 承德避暑山莊博物館中藏有一例類似的銅鎏金大威德金剛像，其造像
March 2015, lot 3214, and the second which was sold at Sotheby’s 及工藝與本尊類似，見《清宮秘藏-承德避暑山莊藏傳佛教文物特展圖
Hong Kong, 3 April 2018, lot 3679. 錄》，台北，1999年，頁122，圖46。

另論兩尊類似的清十八世紀大威德金剛，尺寸較此尊稍小，一尊售於
紐約佳士得，2015年3月15-16日，拍品3214；另一尊售於香港蘇富
比，2018年4月3日，拍品3679。

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