Page 140 - Sotheby's October 3 2017 Tantra Buddhost Art

The Dancing Vajrayogini
David Weldon
The goddess Vajrayogini is of supreme importance in the
Tibetan Buddhist pantheon, and the very essence of the
Chakrasamvara tantra. In this rare and exquisite Xuande
bronze the crescent moon on which she dances represents
Chakrasamvara. She takes Samvara’s ritual implements,
the ghanta and vajra, as her principal emblems embodying
Wisdom and Compassion, the fundamental combination
at the heart of the tantra. Here the goddess is as one with
Chakrasamvara and indeed represents the tantra in its purest
form.
The Yongle court had perhaps a higher profile in its
relationship with Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism than the
Xuande, but this exceptional sculpture offers a rare insight
into the commitment of the Xuande court to patronage of
Tibetan Buddhist practice at the highest spiritual level. Such is The exceptional quality of this sculpture is particularly
the esoteric nature of Vajrayogini that she is rarely portrayed
in comparison with other tantric deities, especially in such
a complex eight-armed and four-headed form. There does
not seem to be any Himalayan bronze in this manifestation
recorded in Tibetan monasteries or private collections.
However, a rare Yongle bronze Naro Dakini, a more commonly
seen manifestation of Vajrayogini, provides evidence of the
cult of the goddess in early Ming China, Van Alphen, Cast for
Eternity, Antwerp, 2004, p. 217. A fine early Ming painting of
Naro Dakini further confirms this devotion, Casey et al, Divine
Presence, Barcelona, 2003, pl. 52.
Thus the iconography contributes to our understanding of
the Xuande period and the extent of the court’s involvement
with Tibetan Buddhism. Until now the body of work known
from the Xuande court workshops is relatively limited in its
range of iconography, especially compared with that of the
Yongle, and primarily comprised of sculptures of Buddha and
bodhisattvas. The relatively small number of documented
Xuande bronzes seems to corroborate official accounts
that make no mention of the bestowal of images on Tibetan
hierarchs during the Xuande, as happened so frequently in the
Yongle period. Xuande bronzes were probably commissioned
more for Buddhist temples in China, as suggested by the
relatively high number remaining in Beijing repositories and
the very few in Tibetan monastery collections. The generally
138 SOTHEBY’S 蘇富比
large scale of Xuande bronzes is indeed appropriate for
temple worship, whereas the smaller size of many Yongle
bronzes suggests the more intimate purpose of gift bestowal.
Perhaps all the smaller Yongle works were the personal gifts
of the emperor to the Tibetan hierarchs, as described in
the records. If smaller works were made as gifts and larger
works were for temple settings, it may further explain why
there are no small-scale Xuande bronzes, as no personal
bestowals are recorded in the Xuande. Indeed the relatively
large size of the Vajrayogini statue seems to confirm this
trend. Notwithstanding the apparently reduced patronage in
the Xuande period, the charm and quality of this Vajrayogini
confirms that the emperor retained sculptors every bit as
inspired as those in the employ of the Yongle court.
noteworthy, being one of the finest of the known Xuande
statues, which are often perceived to be more restrained than
those of the preceding Yongle reign. The Vajrayogini belies
this notion with vigorous movement and the inventive way
that the artist has found to portray the rare iconography. She
dances with such poise on her crescent moon being cradled
in the petals of an utpala lily. This use of the flower, a symbol
of the goddess Tara, is quite unique in imperial Ming works.
Her four radiant faces exude an air of calm and composure
amidst the motion of the eight arms surrounding her. As
with all early Ming period imperial Buddhist sculpture where
the deity is cast separately from the pedestal, the body of
the deity, as well as the pedestal, is consecrated and the
sanctified materials sealed in by means of a small rectangular
plate in the middle of the back: as is the case with the only
other recorded Xuande deities in a dancing posture, the two
bodhisattvas previously in the Speelman Collection, sold in
these rooms, 7th October 2006, lot 805. The casting and
gilding of this lovely and animated image of Vajrayogini is
flawless, as is to be expected for such a masterpiece from the
command of the Xuande Emperor.
Sotheby’s would like to thank Jeff Watt for his help with the
iconographic identification and insight into the tantric practice
surrounding Vajrayogini.