PURBHA EN FER DAMASQUINÉ OR ET ARGENT AVEC SON ÉTUI...

PURBHA EN FER DAMASQUINÉ OR ET ARGENT AVEC SON ÉTUI
TIBET ORIENTAL, DERGE, XIVE SIÈCLE
Himalayan Art Resources item no. 20590
22.2 cm (8 3/4 in.) long (2).
A GOLD AND SILVER DAMASCENED IRON PURBHA WITH CASE
EASTERN TIBET, DERGE, 14TH CENTURY

Published
A & J Speelman, Buddhist Works of Art, London, 1998, p. 74. no. 39.

Provenance
Christie's, New York, 20 September 2000, lot 131

The purbha, or kila, is a stake used to demarcate the sacred boundaries of a mandala in tantric rituals. In this instance, the implement's three faces and triple-sided blade personify the deity Vajrakila, whose power also enables practitioners to pin down external and internal hindrances within the ritual setting. Padmasambhava is said to have used the purbha, of Indic origin, to subdue evil spirits and convert the Himalayan region to Buddhism in the 8th century.

The purbha's sculptural composition enlivened with gold and silver is laden with symbolism. Its triangular blade signifies the element of fire, or the wrathful energy required to pierce through the three poisons of ignorance, desire, and hatred. The blade protrudes from the mouth of a makara, which in turn reveals twisting nagas, or serpent deities, representing the water element and rituals for summoning rain. Above the makara's head is a lotus handle fashioned with endless knots, which alludes to the endless cycle of death and rebirth and is one of Buddhism's Eight Auspicious Emblems (ashtamangala). Surmounting the three heads of Vajrakila cast with wrathful expressions distinct from one another is a vajra-finial, serving to cap the implement's potent ritual energy.

Although historically purbhas were crafted in a variety of materials, the most powerful and efficacious were forged from meteoric iron, as seen in the following object. Also known as 'celestial iron', this metal was considered a superior medium for its apotropaic qualities in repelling demonic forces and maintaining a mandala's structural integrity. (Huntington & Bangdel, The Circle of Bliss, 2003, p. 506.) Certain technical aspects, such as the damascening and ring-punched decoration indicate its creation in Derge, eastern Tibet, which was famous for its ironwork foundries. Past scholarship has often attributed this type of work to the 15th century, as the Yongle emperor (1403-24) of the Ming dynasty commissioned sets of ritual implements on behalf of Tibetan monasteries (see a damascened iron club sold in Bonhams, Hong Kong, 5 October 2020, lot 102). However, the slimmer, elegant treatment of the following purbha—when compared to the broader faces, handle grips, and blades of Yongle works—suggests its earlier dating to the 14th century, instead relating more closely to a damascened iron scraper in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (fig. 1; 1993.454). Also noteworthy are a small number of purbhas made from gold and silver damascened iron. One example is in private hands (HAR 58720) while another is published in Nathalie Bazin et al., Rituels tibétains: Visions secrètes du Vème Dalaï Lama (1617–82), 2002, p. 152, no. 115.

For the figures listed in this essay, please refer to our printed or digital catalogue.

鐵鋄金銀普巴杵 附銅盒
藏東 德格 十四世紀

著錄
A & J Speelman，《Buddhist Works of Art》，倫敦，1998年，頁74，編號39

來源
佳士得，紐約，2000年9月20日，拍品131

普巴杵，梵文為kila，用於在密宗儀式中劃定曼荼羅神聖邊界。其三面三刃，為普巴金剛之化身，其法力能助修行者克服內外業障。根據傳說，八世紀時，蓮花生大士曾以起源於印度之普巴杵降魔伏妖，並將喜馬拉雅地區皈依於佛教。

普巴杵以金銀表現之構造充滿象徵意義。三刃象徵火元素，乃刺穿貪、嗔、癡這三毒之忿怒能量。刀刃自摩伽羅口中深處，同時見蛇神那迦蜿蜒而出，代表水元素以及祈雨儀式。摩伽羅頭上有一蓮花柄，上飾有意為綿延不絕之盤長，為佛教「八寶」之一，暗示無盡的生死輪迴。頂部是普巴金剛三面，忿怒之相各不相同，再上見金剛杵，為這股無比強大的法力之頂。

歷史上，普巴杵可由許多不同材料製造，而最強大且有效的，莫過於隕鐵所製，正如此例所示。隕鐵又稱天鐵，被認為是具辟邪之特質以及保持曼荼羅結構的法力的最佳物質（Huntington 及 Bangdel，《The Circle of Bliss》，2003年, 頁506）。如鐵鋄和環形沖孔裝飾等此類工藝，表明其誕生於以鐵器作坊聞名的藏東德格。過去的學術研究經常將此類作品歸為十五世紀之作，因明朝永樂皇帝（1403-24）曾代西藏寺廟委託製作成套法器（可參考一件鐵鋄金銀骷髏杖，見邦瀚斯，香港，2020年10月5日，拍品102）。然而，與永樂作品的寬臉、握把和刀刃相比，此普巴杵之塑造更為纖細，亦更文雅，表明其或可追溯至更早的十四世紀，與紐約大都會藝術博物館一件鐵鋄刮刀（圖1；1993.454）較為相近。此外，鐵鋄金銀普巴杵亦值得關注，其中一例由私人收藏（喜馬拉雅藝術資源網59720號），另一例則著錄於Nathalie Bazin等所作《Rituels tibétains：Visions secrètes du Vème Dalaï Lama (1617–82)》，2002年，頁152，編號115。

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。