A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF HEVAJRA KHASA MALLA, CIRCA...

A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF HEVAJRA
KHASA MALLA, CIRCA 1300-1350
A rubbed, illegible inscription across the front of the base.
Himalayan Art Resources item no. 23017
23.4 cm (9 1/4 in.) high
Published
Meinrad Maria Grewenig & Eberhard Rist (eds.), Buddha: 2000 Years of Buddhist Art, 232 Masterpieces, Völklingen, 2016, pp. 320-1, no. 133.

Exhibited
Buddha: 2000 Years of Buddhist Art, 232 Masterpieces, Völklingen, 24 June 2016 — 19 February 2017.

Provenance
Acquired in Hong Kong, 2014

銅鎏金喜金剛像
卡薩馬拉 約1300-1350年

著錄
Meinrad Maria Grewenig 及 Eberhard Rist 編，《Buddha: 2000 Years of Buddhist Art，232 Masterpieces》，弗爾克林根，2016 年，頁320-1，編號133

展覽
「 Buddha：2000 Years of Buddhist Art，232 Masterpieces 」，弗爾克林根，2016年6月24日至2017年2月19日

來源
入藏於香港，2014年

Two sublime beings—male Hevajra and female Nairatmya—merge into one another in an ecstatic sexual embrace, symbolizing the transcendent state of Buddhahood that one achieves through completed tantric instruction. They dance in unison, triumphant over forces obstructive to the spiritual path (maras), represented by the four Hindu deities underfoot. The sculpture is cast in the dynastic style of the Khasa Mallas, who ruled western Nepal and parts of West Tibet between the 12th and 14th centuries. The Khasa Mallas enlivened their Buddhist sculptures with well-observed details. Such distinctive elements within this bronze include the splayed toes of Nairatmya's left foot finding purchase on her consort's and the intimate gazes shared between the two. Moreover, Hevajra has eight heads stacked pyramidally, with the fully wrathful, more ogrish face at the top upturned toward the sky in a brilliant artistic choice dissimilar to Tibetan depictions. The corresponding upward gaze of a subjugated deity, kneeling and arched backward by Hevajra's left foot brushing against his cheek, creates a vertical axis through the center of the sculptural composition connecting with the tall spire of heads. Exhibiting the highest quality of modeling, casting, chasing, and gilding, this sculpture embodies artistic production under the Khasa Mallas in its prime. It almost certainly ranks among an important sub-group produced for royal patronage.

The Khasa Mallas governed a trans-Himalayan kingdom that connected the Indian subcontinent with the Tibetan plateau. They played a pivotal role in facilitating trade and cultural exchange in the region, and their gilt bronze sculpture reflects a diverse blend of Indian, Tibetan, and Nepalese traditions.

The bronze exhibits many of the defining characteristics now used to identify Khasa Malla bronzes since the first was recognized by Ian Alsop in 1994 (Alsop, "The Metal Sculpture of the Khasa Malla Kingdom" in Singer & Denwood (eds.), Tibetan Art: Towards a Definition of Style, London, 1997, pp. 68-79). For example, the lotus base with plump, multilobed petals, a beaded upper rim, and a plain back painted with red lacquer. Like a grand gilded Khasa Malla sculpture of Buddha sold at Bonhams, New York, 19 March 2018, lot 3019, this bronze's lotus petals have an incised 'eyelash' motif (figs. 1a & 1b). Though mostly concealed when viewed from the front, the hands have defined knuckles in what is considered one of the more exclusive Khasa Malla idioms. Also, Hevajra and Nairatmya's athletic physiques are well-nourished. Though compact, the figures have an impressive figural volume.

In fact, the divine couple's physiognomy and figural type match those of a royally commissioned subgroup of Khasa Malla bronzes known by inscription. These include a sculpture thought to represent Queen Dipamala in the National Museum of Art, Smithsonian, Washington, D.C. (fig. 2; F1986.23), and a figure of Shadakshari Lokeshvara commissioned for a Khasa Malla king probably in the second quarter of the 14th century that was sold at Bonhams, New York, 23 July 2020, lot 848 that was (fig. 3). The present Hevajra's high copper content, and the color and texture of its gilding, indicate it derives from a similar context. Two further gilt bronzes that likely belong to this royal subgroup are a Bhaisajyaguru sold at Sotheby's, Paris, 23 June 2016, lot 137 and a Manjushri sold at Koller, Zurich, 13 June 2017, lot 111. All five of these gilded sculptures, including this impressive figure of Hevajra, show considerable artistic flair as some of the finest Khasa Malla sculptures yet identified.

喜金剛與其明妃無我佛母如合為一體，象徵以圓滿密法之修心而得佛果超然之境界。佛父與佛母翩然起舞，摧伏踩於其腳下的四尊印度教神，即擾佛成道的「魔羅」。該像鑄造以卡薩馬拉王朝風格而鑄，此王朝於十二至十四世紀間統治尼泊爾西部及西藏西部部分地區。卡薩馬拉佛教造像工藝細緻入微，人物靈動鮮活。此尊喜金剛像獨具一格，明妃左腳腳趾張開，似乎正用力落穩於喜金剛腳上，二神目光流連，親密無間。此外，喜金剛八頭堆疊成金字塔形，頂部之面怒容猙獰，仰朝天空，形成與西藏迥異的絕妙藝術風格。相應地，被降伏的神祇伏跪著向後傾身，喜金剛以左腳擦過其臉頰，形成一條貫穿銅像中心的垂直軸線，與高聳的頭冠相連。此件造像展現了極高的構思、鑄造、雕刻以及鎏金水準，為卡薩馬拉全盛時期之藝術瑰寶。幾乎可以肯定，此像應屬於皇室供養造像中重要的一尊。

卡薩馬拉王朝統治著一個跨越喜馬拉雅山脈的王國，將印度次大陸與青藏高原連接，在推動該地區文化與貿易之交流上的角色舉足輕重，而其鎏金造像正體現印度、西藏和尼泊爾傳統之融合。

此造像展現出自1994年Ian Alsop辨識出第一尊卡薩馬拉銅像以來所形成的、諸多用於判斷是否為卡薩馬拉王朝造像的決定性特徵（Alsop，「The Metal Sculpture of the Khasa Malla Kingdom」，見Singer及Denwood編《Tibetan Art: Towards a Definition of Style》，倫敦，1997年，頁68-79)。蓮座便是其中特徵之一，其蓮瓣豐滿而多尖，上緣聯珠，背部則素淨無飾、上塗紅漆，與2018年3月19日紐約邦瀚斯拍出之大型銅鎏金卡薩馬拉佛像相仿，蓮瓣上見彎曲如睫毛之刻線（圖1a及1b；拍品3019）。儘管自正面而觀時並不清晰，但佛陀雙手指關節的刻畫被認為是更獨屬於卡薩馬拉的語彙之一。喜金剛與明妃之健碩體格亦栩栩如生。儘管佛像體量小巧，其強壯有力之感卻令人印象深刻。

事實上，這尊雙身像之身形外貌符合一組因銘文而得以辨識的、由卡薩馬拉王室委托而來的造像群。此中便有華盛頓史密森尼國立亞洲藝術博物館中一尊被認為呈現蒂帕瑪拉女王之銅像（圖2；F1986.23），以及邦翰斯2020年7月23日於紐約拍出之一尊可能於十四世紀下半葉間由卡薩馬拉國王施造之四臂觀音像（圖3；拍品848）。而此拍品合金中銅含量頗高，加之其鎏金之顏色和紋理，皆指向同一背景。另外，2016年6月23日於巴黎蘇富比成交之藥師佛像（拍品137）以及2017年6月13日於蘇黎世闊樂落槌之文殊菩薩像（拍品111）亦可能屬於此組造像。 此五尊鎏金銅像，包括這尊震撼的喜金剛像，與迄今為止人們所知曉的最精美的卡薩馬拉佛像一樣，展現著令人讚歎的藝術造詣。

For the figures listed in this essay, please refer to our printed or digital catalogue.
關於文中所提及之參考圖，請參閱此場拍賣之電子或紙質圖錄。