Page 58 - 2019 September 11th Christie's New York Chiense Art Himalayan bronzes and art

323A
A COPPER- AND SILVER-INLAID BRONZE GROUP DEPICTING
VISHNU AND PERSONIFIED ATTRIBUTES
KASHMIR, 11TH-12TH CENTURY
7 ¾ in. (19.8 cm) high
$30,000-50,000

PROVENANCE
Collection of the late Mr. Julian Elias, London, 1960s, by repute
thence by descent.
Compare the current work to an earlier ninth-century bronze group depicting
Vishnu Vaikuntha in the National Museum, New Delhi (acc. no. 80.1210). In
both groups, Vishnu stands at center holding two of his primary attributes, the
lotus and the conch. The two attendant fgures below are personifcations of
his other two attributes, Chakrapurusha (the chakra or wheel), and Gada Devi
(the gada or mace). Vishnu and attendants stand upon rectangular plinths
with side aperture for ablutions materials.
The application of cold gold to the face on the current work suggests that
this bronze may have entered Tibet at some point in its history, a testament
to the longevity and appeal of portable bronze fgures such as this, as well as
the transmission of philosophical and art-historical traditions throughout the
pan-Himalayan region.
Himalayan Art Resources, item no. 13467.

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