Page 24 - Indian and Himalayan Art Mar 21, 2018 NYC

ANOTHER PROPERTY
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A GILT-COPPER REPOUSSÉ MASK OF BHAIRAVA
NEPAL, 16TH CENTURY
16º in. (41.5 cm.) high
$20,000-30,000
PROVENANCE
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. James Coburn, Los Angeles, since the 1970s.
Acquired by the present owner from the above, early 2000s.
LITERATURE
Himalayan Art Resource (himalayanart.org), item no. 24392
This striking, repoussé mask depicts Bhairava, a ferce manifestation of the
Hindu god Shiva. He bears Shiva’s efigy at the base of his foliate skull tiara.
Flaming hair, bulging eyes, and earrings made of serpents are all associated
with Bhairava. This mask-like form of his image is ubiquitous because of its
ritual signifcance. During the Indrajatra festival of Nepal, devotees drink beer
or wine funneled through the gaping mouth of this head. Compare with a clay
mask of Bhairava with similar modeling of the physiognomy, hair and crown
(Himalayan art resource item no. 58608). The repoussé fgure however, retains
much greater detail, particularly with the eyebrows and moustache which
have been rendered to resemble fames. For further comparison, see another
copper repoussé mask of Bhairava from the sixteenth century which sold at
christie’s New York on 21 March 2012, lot 821.
尼泊爾 十六世紀 鎏金銅皮派拉瓦面具

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