Page 126 - Bonhams NYC Indian and Himalayan Art March 2019

904
A SILVER INLAID GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF SHAKYAMUNI
CENTRAL TIBET, 15TH CENTURY
Himalayan Art Resources item no.61961
6 7/8 in. (17.4 cm) high

$30,000 - 50,000
藏中 十五世紀 錯銀鎏金釋迦牟尼銅像

Richly gilded and finely cast in the round, Shakyamuni sits in bhumisparsha mudra on
a vajra-throne (vajrasana). Shakyamuni wears a monk’s patchwork robe heightened by
inlaid silver beading. The back of the robe enfolds the subtle contours of his body, while
the hemline is incised with a meandering floral motif. The vajra symbol partially sunk into
the base before the Buddha is considered a reference to the time and location of his
enlightenment at Bodhgaya, Northeastern India.

Related Buddha images of the mid-15th-century include a thangka of Shakyamuni in the
British Museum (Rhie & Thurman, Wisdom and Compassion, New York, 1996, p.77, no.3),
and a 15th-century gilded bronze sold at Sotheby’s, New York, 30 November 1994, lot 68.
In discussion of the former, Rhie & Thurman note that the broad shoulders, pronounced
chest, and patchwork robes are similar to those appearing in the 15th-century murals of
Tabo monastery in Western Tibet, suggesting “a wide distribution of artistic styles at the
time, particularly between central and western regions”. The authors also remark that by the
second half of the 15th century there appears to be a deliberate transition away from the
imposing monumentality of 13th- and 14th-century styles, towards a “process of refinement
and elaboration”.

The appearance of monks and buddhas dressed in patchwork robes in Tibetan art dates
as far back as the Chidar, otherwise known as the second wave of Tibet’s apprenticeship
of Indian Buddhism between the 11th and 13th centuries. But in Tibet, more precious
garments rapidly replaced the humble Indian patchwork robe. By the 15th century,
the patchwork robe is transformed into the finest conceivable garment of the period, a
transformation that perfectly exemplifies this ‘refinement and elaboration’ of the period.
Compare with another Buddha with silver-inlaid patchwork robes sold by Christie’s, Hong
Kong, 31 May 2017, lot 2804.

The lotus petals are swollen and layered in a manner consistent with a style prevalent
in 14th- and 15th-century Central Tibet. Compare a related figure of Shakyamuni in the
Rietberg Museum (Uhlig, On the Path to Enlightenment, Zurich, 1995, p.72, no.30).

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