Page 132 - Bonhams NYC Indian and Himalayan Art March 2019

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A POLYCHROMED COPPER ALLOY CHAKRASAMVARA MANDALA
NORTHEASTERN INDIA AND CHINA, PALA AND QIANLONG PERIODS,
QIANLONG MARK, 12TH AND 18TH CENTURY
An inscription in Chinese along the bottom of the lotus base reads, “Daqing Qianlong nian
jing zhuang”. Translated, “Respectfully consecrated during the Qianlong period in the Great
Qing dynasty”.
Himalayan Art Resources item no.61916
13 3/8 in. (34 cm) high

$180,000 - 220,000
東北印度與中原 帕拉王朝與乾隆時期 十二與十八世紀 勝樂金剛曼荼羅
「大清乾隆年敬裝」楷書款

This complex sculpture represents a lotus mandala symbolizing the celestial abode of
Chakrasamvara. Mandalas are ubiquitous throughout Tantric Buddhist art, though most are
painted two-dimensionally or temporarily created with sand. Rare sculptural mandalas, such
as the present lot, are perhaps the most fascinating kind, constructed with a mechanism to
open and close the lotus petals around the central deity. The inception of such bronze lotus
mandalas probably dates back to the time this example was produced, during the Pala
period in Northeastern India (8th-12th century). Sculptural lotus mandalas later experienced
a revival in China in the 15th century, catering to the Ming imperial taste. Thereafter, some
of these highly prized sculptural mandalas, both Pala and Ming, were preserved within
the Qing imperial collection. If not the only known example, the present lot is one of few
medieval Pala lotus mandalas to have been preserved in the Qing dynasty with a new base,
whose inscription records the mandala’s consecration during the Qianlong reign (1735-96).

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