Page 127 - 2019 September 11th Christie's New York Chiense Art Himalayan bronzes and art

PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE BAY AREA COLLECTION
361
A COPPER- AND SILVER-INLAID FIGURE
OF MANJUSHRI
TIBET, PALA REVIVAL STYLE, 16TH
CENTURY OR LATER
5Ω in. (14 cm.) high

$20,000-30,000

PROVENANCE
Doris Wiener, New York.
Collection of the late Mrs. Anne MacDonald,
acquired from the above on 25 October 1972.
This splendid representation of Manjushri, the
bodhisattva of wisdom, is a classic example of the
Pala Revival style produced in Tibet. Following the
Northeastern Indian Pala tradition of masterful
non-gilt bronze work, this sculpture retains a rich
dark-brown patina overall: the dhoti is incised
with silver and copper inlay to imitate the textiles
depicted in vivid colors within the illuminations
found on Pala Buddhist texts.
The multi-tiered base with beaded upper and
lower edges and fared lotus petals is similar to that
of lot 326, a Pala-period image of Maitreya. The
elongated torso, stylization of the jata or matted
hair, and smoothly fnished surface, however, point
to the Tibetan origin of this sculpture as does
the Chinese-style modeling of the face, the long
narrow nose and face shape of which clearly
take after fftennth-century prototypes. Note the
striking resemblance of this fgure’s face with that
of the fgure of Maitreya on the opposite page.
Himalayan Art Resources, item no. 24532.

127