Page 106 - Bonhams Asian & Chinese Art November 2018

273
A COPPER AND SILVER INLAID
COPPER-ALLOY EIGHT-ARMED DEITY
Tibet or Nepal, 18th/19th century or earlier
Cast in the thirteenth century style, the four-
faced, eight-armed deity holding fly whisks
in each hand, each face framed by a three-
pointed crown with copper and silver details,
the deity bedecked in further luxurious
beaded and pendant jewellery also inlaid
in copper and silver, with a copper-inlaid
meditation belt slung across the knees over
the finely-incised, Indian-style diaphanous
dhoti, the deity standing on an oval plinth,
with a square inset plaque between the
shoulder blades. 8.2cm (3 1/4in) high
£1,000 - 2,000
HK$10,000 - 20,000
CNY9,000 - 18,000

Provenance
The Oliver Robert Coales Collection, acquired
by Mr Coales when working and travelling
in Eastern Tibet in 1916-17, and thence by
descent.

274
A GROUP OF EARTHENWARE VOTIVE
PLAQUES, TSCHA TSCHA
Tibet, 19th/20th century
Comprising: a square plaque depicting a
six-armed female deity, the reverse with
a stupa and a long inscription; a square
plaque of Mahakala; a small rectangular
plaque of two skeletal dancing deities,
273 the reverse inscribed; a small rectangular
plaque of Manjushri against a background of
continuous inscriptions; a mandorla shaped
plaque of Amitayus, also with two rows of
inscriptions; a small mandorla shaped plaque
of a dancing bovine-headed dakini; and two
small circular plaques of multi-armed deity
in yab-yum, the first Vajradhara and consort,
the second Vajrasattva and consort; together
with a bronze mould or stamp depicting the
Buddhas of the Ten Directions, each figure
captioned.
The largest: 10cm (4in) square (9).

£800 - 1,200
HK$8,200 - 12,000
CNY7,200 - 11,000
Provenance
The Oliver Robert Coales Collection, the
plaques collected by Mr. Coales at the ruined
lamasery of Geden Jampa Ling above the
town of Chamdo, Eastern Tibet, in January
1917; the stamp also acquired in Eastern
Tibet, and thence by descent

Plaques of this type were popular in India
and Tibet, where they were generally made of
clay from sacred pilgrimage sites and hence
had intrinsic power as relics for pilgrims. For
plaques of this type see the Metropolitan
Museum of Art, accession nos. 30.76.150,
274 and 1982.462.6; and The State Hermitage
Museum, Abode of Charity, Tibetan Buddhist
Art, Exhibition Catalogue, The State
Hermitage Publishers, Saint Petersburg,
2015, pp. 476-477, nos.339-343.

For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
104 | BONHAMS please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue.