Page 92 - 2019 September 11th Christie's New York Chiense Art Himalayan bronzes and art
P. 92
PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE GERMAN COLLECTION
341
A BRONZE FIGURE OF BLACK JAMBHALA
TIBET, 13TH CENTURY
4 √ in. (12.4 cm.) high
$20,000-30,000
PROVENANCE
Private German collection, by 1973; thence by descent.
Kalajambhala or Black Jambhala holds a mongoose, disgorging jewels as a
reminder that generosity yields abundance. As the destroyer of snakes, the
mongoose symbolizes the destruction of greed. Kalajambhala is a wealth
deity popularized in Tibet by Bari Lotsawa (b. 1040) and the Kashmiri teacher
Shakyashri Bhadra. The greenish metal alloy, simple lotus petals, and simple
ornaments and stippled fower design are marks of this Black Jambhala
fgure’s early Tibetan origin. The present sculpture is distinguished by its
onyx-inlaid eyes and visible fangs. A similar Kalajambhala dated to the twelfth
century is illustrated by U. von Schroeder in Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong,
1981, p. 179, fg. 33D.
Himalayan Art Resources, item no. 24531.
“Kalajambhala; Western Tibet, 12th century; Ht. 0.171 m,” after U. von Schroeder,
Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, p. 179, fg. 33D.
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