Page 52 - Bonhams, Images of Devotion, April 21 2021

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A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF USHNISHAVIJAYA
TIBET, CIRCA 16TH CENTURY
Himalayan Art Resources item no.16972
20.4 cm (8 in.) high

HKD400,000 - 600,000

西藏 約十六世紀 銅鎏金尊勝佛母像

A personification of a Buddhist mantra associated with longevity and favorable
rebirth, Ushnishavijaya is widely worshiped in Tibetan as one of three long-life
deities, along with Amitayus and White Tara. With her arms elegantly radiating
outward, the three-faced goddess bestows a benevolent gaze upon viewers.
Among her remaining attributes are a miniature effigy of Amitabha in her upper right
hand, and the vase containing the elixir of long life supported in her lap. Here she is
represented as a slender young girl with a lithe physique. The light and fluid fabric
of her robe flows down to cover portions of the upper edge of the base.

While not by the hand of the master, the sculpture’s jewelry, lotus petals, and
slender physiognomy echo the work of Sonam Gyaltsen, a master sculptor
patronized around 1430 by the Sakya school and the Rinpungpa dynasty centered
in Shigatse (cf. Watt in Bonhams, New York, 19 March 2018, lot 3033). The pointed
five-lobed leaf design found throughout the figure’s crown, bracelets, and armlets,
for example, is derived from a less stylized version often seen on sculptures
attributed to Sonam Gyaltsen (see an Amitayus sold at Bonhams, Hong Kong, 2
October 2018, lot 44). Also compare the distinctive lotus petals, with plump inner
petals terminating in curlicue tips and swelled outer petals with pointed ends.

Provenance
Bonhams, Hong Kong, 21 May 2009, lot 1118
Private French Collection

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