Page 8 - 2020 December 2 Bonhams Arts of Devotion bronzes and Stone carvings

1003
A BRASS FIGURE OF ACALA
NORTHEASTERN INDIA, PALA PERIOD, 12TH CENTURY
Himalayan Art Resources item no.16909
9.5 cm (3 3/4 in.) high

HKD160,000 - 200,000
印度東北部 帕拉時期 十二世紀 不動明王銅像

This early standing form of Acala was popularized by Atisha (982-1054), the
founder of the Kadampa School, and by Lobpon Sonam Tsemo of the Sakya
School (1142-1182). It was replaced by a kneeling form sometime within the 13th
century, helping to date the bronze. Acala appears in the Mahavairocana Sutra,
known in India by the early 8th century and translated into Chinese in 724 CE.
Acala’s role is to remove obstacles in the mind of a practitioner and protect the
mind from negative forces. Despite its diminutive size, the sculpture has a powerful
presence, along with a delightful buttery patina.

Although the simplicity of the overall casting and lotus platform are in keeping
with 12th-to-14th-century Tibetan adaptations of the Pala style of Northeastern
India (c.f. von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, Vol.II, Hong Kong, 2001,
pp.1112-3, nos.291A-E). However, the sculpture’s diminutive size and notably
yellow, brassy alloy are in keeping with a Pala original. This is further supported
by a close representation of the deity in an 11th-century votive plaque from Bihar,
Northeastern India, held by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Pal, Icons of
Piety, Los Angeles, 1986, p.67, no.31). Similarly, it shows Ganapati spread across
the base with his left arm trampled under Acala’s right foot.

Provenance
Private European Collection since the early 2000s

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