STATUETTE D'AKSHOBHYAVAJRA GUHYASAMAJA EN ALLIAGE DE CUIVRE DORÉ TIBET CENTRAL, XVE SIÈCLE

Premium Lot - Online Bidding Will Not Be AvailableSTATUETTE D'AKSHOBHYAVAJRA GUHYASAMAJA EN ALLIAGE DE CUIVRE DORÉ
TIBET CENTRAL, XVE SIÈCLEHimalayan Art Resources item no. 4611 51.5 cm (20 1/4 in.) high

A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF AKSHOBHYAVAJRA GUHYASAMAJACENTRAL TIBET, 15TH CENTURY藏中 十五世紀 銅鎏金密集不動金剛像 ProvenanceWith Claude de Marteau, Brussels, by 1970s "The anuttara yoga tantras areThe highest teachings given by the Buddha.From amongst these the most profound isThat of glorious Guhyasamaja, the king of all tantras.Understanding the sublime path of GuhyasamajaBestows fearless, confident understandingOf all the teachings of the Buddha."- Je Tsongkhapa (1357-1419), Founder of the Gelug School of Tibetan Buddhism Representing the crown of the de Marteau Collection, this large, complex sculpture depicts Akshobhyavajra Guhyasamaja, a subject central to Tibetan Buddhism's promise of a swift and complete enlightenment. Two sublime beings—male and female—merge into one another in an ecstatic sexual embrace symbolizing the transcendent state of Buddhahood that one achieves through the completion of tantric instruction. Measuring 51.5 cm tall, this gilded bronze is among the grandest sculptural commissions of Guhyasamaja—or any composite yab yum ('mother-father') deity—from Tibet ever to appear on the market. Representing a subject deeply connected with the religious instruction of Tibet's most famous historic person, Je Tsongkhapa (1357-1419; fig. 1), this sculpture is also produced in a style synonymous with the Tibetan Renaissance he inspired.The 'Ganden Renaissance,' which bore this sculptural tour de force, has been described as a 'quantum explosion' of spiritual attainment, philosophical and literary accomplishment, and artistic creativity.1 The post-enlightenment mission of the founder of the Gelug order, Tsongkhapa, to renew and reinvigorate Tibetan Buddhism galvanized an astonishing surge in religious and artistic activity in the 15th century. Support came through cooperation and competition among the various schools of Tibetan Buddhism as well as through patronage from Tibetan kings and Chinese emperors alike. Many of Central Tibet's most important monasteries (fig. 2) were founded during this period, with innovative feats of Buddhist painting and sculpture installed within them, such as Ganden (1410), the Gyantse Pelchor Chode (1418; fig. 3), Ngor (1429), and Tashi Lhunpo (1447). Far from limited to Central Tibet, the Ganden Renaissance extended much further into East and West Tibet. The assembling of artists from all over the Himalayas to create evermore magnificent commissions resulted in the successful integration of important influences from neighboring artistic traditions, and Tibetan art reaching its full maturity.2Thanks to the rich information provided by a stylistically related masterpiece previously sold by Bonhams (fig. 4a; Bonhams, New York, 19 March 2018, lot 3033), this impressive Guhyasamaja can be confidently dated and attributed to 15th-century Central Tibet. The other gilt bronze, dubbed the 'Jamchen Avalokiteshvara' after the monastery it was created for, depicts the supreme, cosmic form of Boddhisatva Avalokiteshvara (Avalokiteshvara Sahasrabhuja Ekadasamukha), and features an inscription recording the master artist, royal patrons, monastery, and the overseeing Sakya hierarch involved in its production. By triangulating their biographies and historical records about Jamchen monastery, Watt was able to pinpoint the sculpture's creation in the Shigatse region of Central Tibet, c. 1425-30.3 Watt's reading of the inscription constituted a significant discovery for Tibetan art history; the sculpture revealed the name of a 'Tibetan Michelangelo', called Sonam Gyaltsen, whose superlative work could now be recognized among sculptures held in private and museum collections long-lauded as embodying the height of Tibetan sculptural achievement. However, in the wake of this recent discovery, little else is known about Sonam Gyaltsen and his atelier other than he was patronized, c.1425-30, by the Sakya order and members of Rinpungpa dynasty (1435-1565) ruling over the Shigatse region. For example, it is unknown whether his was the only atelier working in this stylistic tradition, which we presume lasted until the 16th century. Further research might determine whether he is the same 'Sonam Gyaltsen' recorded to have contributed to the contemporaneous artistic program of the Sakya Gyantse Kumbum, completed in 1427.4 Nevertheless, the discovery of Sonam Gyaltsen and the Jamchen Avalokiteshvara provides a suitable placeholder for allowing us to locate several sculptures (such as the present Guhysamaja) sharing distinctive stylistic elements within the riverine commissions of the Ganden Renaissance. As Watt notes:"It is therefore reasonable that the now clearly recognizable style can be named, until more historical data is acquired, as the Sonam Gyaltsen sculpture atelier. From the standpoint of historical research that is the first important point. The second important point is the acknowledgement of the atelier as producing some of the finest Tibetan sculpture created during a golden age of both art and Tibetan literary output. The style represents a true synthesis of the best characteristics of sculpture styles from the surrounding regions of the Himalayas, India, Kashmir, Nepal and China, reshaped into a truly unique Tibetan aesthetic flourishing in the 15th century."5 A close reading of stylistic details shared by Sonam Gyaltsen's Avalokiteshvara and the present Guhyasamaja strongly suggests that they belong to the same artistic tradition. The deities have a similar facial type, and exhibit lithe and nimble physiques, which notably depart from the general emphasis on figural monumentality in Tibetan art created before the 15th century. Their crowns rest above an idiomatic fringe of rounded curls. Their jewelry draws immediate comparison: the design of most articles shares the common denominators of either three lotus petals bearing a small turquoise setting framed by a pointed five-lobed leaf, or a turquoise setting flowering from a lotus-bud pendant (fig. 4b). Even more particular are the miniature chased lines enlivening this floral imagery. Further patterns of engraving can be seen in the floral motifs on each deities' lower garments which often appear in Tibetan sculpture. However, the additional patterning along the bottom edge of either sculpture's base conspicuously decorates a surface less commonly embellished. Lastly, the style of lotus petals, with symmetrically curling plump inner corolla on top of swelled outer petals with pointed tips, is a clear indicator of the two sculptures' stylistic congruency. The most comprehensive list of sculptures thus far attributed to the Sonam Gyaltsen atelier is published on Himalayan Art Resources (set no. 5175). They include sculptures of the highest quality, such as gilt bronze yab yum figures of Vajrabhairava and Manjuvajra Guhyasamaja in the Rietberg Museum, Zurich (figs. 5 & 6) and a Guhyasamaja in the Capital Museum, Beijing (HAR 59837). However, no seated image thus far known in this tradition comes close to matching the impressive scale of the present Guhyasamaja (fig. 7), with the exception perhaps of a fragmented Guhyasamaja (?) photographed within a heap of damaged sculptures in the Johkang, Lhasa.6 In fact, the present bronze's extraordinary size likely makes it the largest cast yab yum sculpture from Tibet ever to appear in the market. While some at this scale are known to originate from China (also in the 15th century),7 few, if any, Tibetan seated yab yum figures above 40 cm are known outside of Tibet.8 Moreover, few cast seated figures above 40 cm of any subject have ever been offered in the art market.9Yab yum images symbolizing the enlightened integration of wisdom and compassion through the metaphor of 'mother-father' deities in sexual congress are arguably the most enthralling subject in Tibetan Buddhist art, emblematic of the religion's distinctive character and material culture. Yab yum iconography is frequently deployed to depict yidams, like Guhyasamaja, which are an important class of "meditational deities" in Tantric Buddhism. Other popular yidams include Chakrasamvara, Vajrabhairava, Hevajra, and Kalachakra. These yidams and their retinue within a surrounding mandala are the topic of a class of tantric teachings called the "Unsurpassed Yoga Tantras" (Anuttarayoga Tantra). According to Tibetan exegetes, the practice of Anuttarayoga Tantra is the only means through which the practitioner's ultimate goal of Buddhahood can be achieved; it cannot be achieved through mastering other 'lower tantras' or by the Mahayanist practice of the Bodhisattva Path.10 "Practitioners of Guhyasamaja Tantra ... actively transform negative states, such as desire and anger, into an experience of enlightenment.... The deity Guhyasamaja is therefore a semi-wrathful and semi-peaceful deity, indicating both the negative passions and their subsequent purification." - Cathleen A. Cummings, "Guhyasamaja Tantra"11Hailed the 'king of tantras' (rgyud kyi rgyal po) in Tibet, the Guhyasamaja Tantra, which this sculpture gives form to, was composed in India likely between 750 and 850 CE and translated into Chinese and Tibetan in the 11th century. It is considered the first tantra to be revealed from a divine source, as well as a fundamental text of Anuttarayoga Tantra. The Sanskrit "Guhyasamaja" translates to "Secret Assembly", which is understood to mean "an assembly of hidden factors that bring us to enlightenment".12 This assembly refers to the central yidam and its surrounding mandala of retinue deities.13 In the form of Akshobhyavajra and Sparshavajra combined, the yidam Guhyasamaja represents the hidden essence of Akshobhya Buddha, the central Presiding Buddha of the Five Directions oriented within the mandala's inner sanctum (fig. 8). The other...