Page 170 - Bonhams NYC Indian and Himalayan Art March 2019

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A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF PANJARANATA MAHAKALA
TIBET, CIRCA 17TH CENTURY
Himalayan Art Resources item no.61915
10 3/4 in. (27.5 cm) high
$800,000 - 1,200,000

西藏 約十七世紀 銅鎏金寶帳大黑天像

Finely cast and remaining in near-immaculate condition, this ferocious gilded sculpture of
Panjaranata Mahakala aptly imparts this protector of Buddhist wisdom’s power. Known
as “Lord of the Pavilion”, this two-armed form of Mahakala is the guardian of the Hevajra
Tantra. The Hevajra Tantra is mainly practiced by the Sakya order of Tibetan Buddhism,
and thus Panjaranata is considered the Sakya’s principal protector deity as well. Although
Panjaranata is a rare subject found in bronze sculptures, a few of examples from the Yongle
(1402-24) and Xuande (1425-35) periods have survived. The present work, created in or
around the 17th century, is an ambitious reinvigoration of the famed Yongle style.

Immediate parallels in style and composition can be drawn between the current lot
and Yongle-Xuande examples, such as a Yongle gilt bronze Panjaranata of similar size,
preserved in the Potala Palace, published in von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet,
vol. II, Hong Kong, 2001, p.1260, nos.348A&B. Both sculptures depict the deity with his
legs bent and turned outward standing on a stiff prostrate corpse while holding a chopper
and skull cup in front of his chest. Both sculptures have bases consisting of a single row of
long lotus petals with trifurcating tips neatly arranged between thickly beaded rims. Both
sculptures have similar superbly gilded surfaces, and share some jewelry elements, such as
the five-skull crown with chakra finials and the skull necklace with beaded loops.

This 17th-homage, however, surpasses Yongle-Xuande prototypes in emphasizing the
protector-deity’s fierceness and immensity. Here, Panjaranata sticks out his tongue from a
wide-open mouth, baring his fangs for all to see. The high cheekbones and wrinkled nose
further accentuate his ferocity, tantamount to Panjaranata’s role as an unrelenting guardian
of Buddhism. By comparison, Yongle-Xuande bronzes present the deity more subdued;
Panjaranata’s mouth is slightly open and his facial muscles are not as tense. For example,
see a smaller Yongle mark and period sculpture of Panjaranata Mahakala published in von
Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, no.145D. The present 17th-century
revitalization also adds vigor to Panjanarta’s hair. Rather than being pulled into a chignon
and secured with a tiara, as with the Yongle-Xuande models, the deity’s hair now stands
on end, wavy as if bursting into flames. Finally, the prostrate corpse is now striped of any
clothing or ornamentation, and rendered with decrepit muscles and emaciated ribs, creating
a more forthright depiction of Panjaranata’s power.

Another clear and closely related example of this revival of the Yongle-Xuande style is a
gilt bronze Panjaranata Mahakala in the collection of the Capital Museum, Beijing (Capital
Museum, The Goddess of Mercy in Buddhism , Beijing, 2008, pp.266-7, no.40). Two further
closely related gilt bronze examples include a Hevajra in the JPHY Collection and a dancing
emanation of Padmasambhava (von Schroeder, op. cit., p.455, no.125D-E, and Neven, Art
Lamaique, Brussels, 1975, no.30, respectively). All three figures share near-identical bases,
and similar treatments of the prostrate figures, jewelry, and severed heads, as with the
present enthralling sculpture.

Provenance
Sotheby’s, New York, 17 June 1993, lot 24

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