A BRASS FIGURE OF VAJRASATTVA WESTERN HIMALAYAS, CIRCA 11TH CENTURY

A BRASS FIGURE OF VAJRASATTVA
WESTERN HIMALAYAS, CIRCA 11TH CENTURY
Himalayan Art Resources item no. 34317
14 cm (5 1/2 in.) high
西喜馬拉雅 約十一世紀 金剛薩埵銅像

Vajrasattva (lit. 'Vajra Being') is distinguished by the vajra he balances on his palm and the bell he cradles against his hip. Vajrasattva's role is often conflated with that of Vajradhara, a Primordial Buddha who is known as the progenitor of all Buddhist teachings. Likewise, Vajrasattva is also considered to be the sixth Cosmic Buddha, or Tathagata, and as such, he is represented in his bejeweled, 'reward body' (sambhogakaya) at the threshold of dissolving into his true dharmakaya form. Prior to most tantric instructions, he is specifically invoked in purification rituals designed to cleanse practitioners of worldly defilements.

Certain elements of this bronze, such as its almond-shaped eyes, aquiline nose, and upturned scarf ends directly correlates with the art flourishing in Kashmir from the 7th to 10th centuries. However, the darker coloration of its metal—indicating its higher copper content compared to the pale, yellowish brass of Kashmiri bronzes—and the comparatively unfinished treatment of its back, most likely hint at its creation in the western Himalayas rather than by an artist native to Kashmir. Even so, its heavier modeling, together with the crisp detailing of its flaming mandorla, crown, and physiognomy, are evident signs of an artist who has trained extensively in the Kashmiri style. Its superlative quality draws close parallels to an attractive and similarly sized Manjushri figure attributed to the 10th/11th centuries of Kashmir, which was sold in Christie's, New York, 22 March 2011, lot 23. An illustration of this example is published in Pal, A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, 1997, pp. 142 & 313, no. 184. In comparison to sculptures possibly originating from the western Himalayas, the crown and physiognomy of the present work appear that match that of a standing Avalokiteshvara figure in the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore (Pal, Desire and Devotion, 2001, p. 101, no. 39). These features also appear on a figure of Prajnaparamita sold in Christie's, New York, 19 March 2014, lot 1041, whose darkened patina and slight deviations in composition likely indicate that it was made in one of the regions bordering Kashmir (HAR 30558).

Published
Deborah Ashencaen & Gennady Leonov, Visions of Perfect Worlds: Buddhist Art from the Himalayas, Spink & Son Ltd., London, 1999, p. 14, no. 4.
The Light of the Buddha: Buddhist Sculptures of the Palace Museum and Zhiguan Museum of Fine Art, Beijing, 2019, pp. 102-3, no. 15.

Exhibited
The Light of the Buddha: Buddhist Sculptures of the Palace Museum and Zhiguan Museum of Fine Art, Beijing, 23 October – 23 December 2018

Provenance
Spink & Son Ltd., London, 1999
A Distinguished Asian Collector