Page 39 - Christie's Buddhist Art May 29, 2019 Hong Kong

fig. 1 A gilt-bronze figure of Panjarnata Mahakala, Yongle-Xuande period,
sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 May 2018, lot 2863
எӬ ᚺ᭦ᦼ ໿ᇪ 㤒㞖㠩ഌ㿳഍㞖ࠈ۬卿㲞ᳰצ೥ᇑ卿 ჺ ᝲ ᚚ卿ᐽ৅ ⽚

2707 Continued

The inscriptions found on the current figure and stand, shang zuo er and ᢬㐤ӏᖏㇲ★⨑䢲ഡիǏ‧὚Ǐ㨈ຯǏⰈ༃㞍㐤★⟞❀⽞䢲ྋㅿဋ⡊˙֥䢲ᅂ
er shang zuo er, are likely to be numbering systems for their placement in ჷۿ዇ǐ૯㷖૰㕹׫๽⥊˗ᑜዢ᝜㡠ח㘝ᐷỤ̈̌˖๽̣ǚ䣁Ⰸ༃ྯᑜ㏩㉚ⴷחǙ˖
a specific order and location. ๽̣ǚ䢲ᕖۿ⣵ᒶ㏉ほ㐤ӏᏈᐁΨ⟄ⅲ〦ⴽǐ
Panjarnata Mahakala is often, but not always, depicted balancing a baton, ૯㷖૰ᒶ᣽↴㑛㒆ζ㡈㮸ᓁ݊ή֨ⅲကဋ⇂ǐ૯㷖૰᚜ᐷ㦈ㄹ᳦῔ޯࣽሜ䢲㈯
Gandhi, in the crooks of his arms, from which all other forms of Mahakala ᬜᑞڪ༂䢲ۈ᳦ㆲ೾̃⎘Ǐᆪ⎘䢲ҷՆ⾾ⳉྯᆓ᳦ⳉҷζᐓˮㄼ᧊૯⎘ǐັ⿉
are thought to emanate. However, even in the absence of the baton, the ᕖՍ⦈Ǐो⦈Ị̌⦈˕␱ǐ᢬ӏ᳦㘌㛵㕹Չ⦈䢲ो⢱◫૊䢲⢢⢟㨪᭸ǐ૯㷖૰
single-faced, two-armed wrathful deity holding the kartri and kapala is
unmistakably Panjarnata Mahakala, the ‘Lord of the Pavilion’. Panjarnata ˕↹८∍䢲㮋⇎⒤㈯䢲ဋ↹⡊⿏ǐ㦷ᆭ̩㭀㭐ի䢲๽ᆾᇇࣽຆሜ↡䢲܃ᆾቈ㗬֬ǐ
Mahakala is the special protector of the Hevajra cycle of Tantras in the ⣰ע኷́㩾㦗ⰪǏὛഡ‧὚ 㟌ⶐ⼾㨫ǐՉ⥒㋺㊲ஔو㊽㊣൛㮸ǐ
Sakya School; his iconography and rituals are found in the 18th chapter
٫̺ᐅ೫ښḵ㡗ⳉˏͬ㤖ັ⇂Κⅲ᥉សᢍ㝿㛵㕹૯㷖૰㕹׫ӏ䢲⮏㙼ᑞǗᐅ೫
of the Vajra Panjara Tantra, as well as in chapters 25 and 50 of the
⚯Ք䣀ᒝ᥉សೢ࿍ᐷḵॱՔǘ䢲ᐅ೫֨ḛ⍻䢲 ໝ䢲㦓 䢲ॱ ǐ۷
Mahakala Tantras.
۞⡃ຎ㑇ሜ೫Ὂⳉˏͬ㏩Κⅲ᥉ស㘌㛵㕹૯㷖૰㕹׫ӏ䢲㍭ᑞǗᮗҷζӏᓁ͞
Although the current figure is not inscribed with a reign mark, it ⧀㧰ᙂǘ䢲٫̺䢲 ໝ䢲㦓 䢲ॱ ǐ
closely relates in style to the imperial gilt-bronze figures of the Yongle
and Xuande periods. Compare with a very similar gilt-iron figure of ۷ۿ۞⡃ˏͬോഢₙറⅲ㛵㕹㘌૯㷖૰ӏ䢮 Ռֱ䢯䢲ஔჷ㐤া⇂Κ䢲೛ໝ
Panjaranata Mahakala with a Yongle mark in the Palace Museum, Beijing, ᒝ᥉ស⦰ೢ࿍䢲 ໝ ᕕ ᑽᑞ㪁᫓ωૈྴሠ㇫䢲ሠި ⴽ䢮ॱˏ䢯ǐ
illustrated in the Splendors from the Yongle and Xuande Reigns of China’s ᑕ⁲⧃ⳉˏͬ␛ᓑǏ೛ໝډˑˠ☸ⅲ㛵㕹㘌૯㷖૰ӏ䢲ۿ㇔᣻㍨䢲 ໝൢ⿪
Ming Dynasty: Classics of the Forbidden City, Beijing, 2012, p.247 no. 133; ᑞ४⒤ᐅ೫ښḵ㡗Ǘ㕹㘌ζ㐤ӏṁൢǘ䢲ॱḛ ⴽǐ
and another similar gilt-bronze figure of Panjarnata Mahakala from the
Yongle period in the Potala Palace, Tibet, illustrated in The Times and the
Styles of Statues of Buddha in Chinese Buddhism, Beijing, 2010, p.216, fig.
234.
Compare also to a slightly smaller figure of Panjarnata Mahakala (27.8
cm.), cast with a very similar posture, dating to the Yongle to Xuande
period, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 May 2018, lot 2863 (fig. 1), as
well as a slightly larger gilt-bronze example, dating to the 17th century,
formerly in the Nitta Collection, exhibited in National Palace Museum,
The Crucible of Compassion and Wisdom, Taipei, 1987, Catalogue, pl. 32.

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