STATUETTE DE VAIROCANA EN ALLIAGE DE CUIVRE DORÉ
TIBET, XVIIE SIÈCLE
A Sanskrit inscription in Tibetan lhantsa script at the back of the base, translated:
'Homage to Tathagatha Vairocana'.
Himalayan Art Resources item no. 1814
14.3 cm (5 5/8 in.) high
Footnotes:
A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF VAIROCANA
TIBET, 17TH CENTURY

Provenance
Sotheby's, New York, before 1976

In this 17th-century Vairocana sculpture, the artist drew upon northeastern Indian Pala models from the 10th and 11th century, many of which were brought to Tibet in antiquity, such as a closely related example published in von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculpture in Tibet, Vol. I, 2001, p. 266, no. 85A. The lotus petals and stepped breakfront plinth populated with snow lions, elephants, and a central crouching gana figure emulate these earlier sculptures. The bronze caster has even gone so far as to mimic the worn hemlines frequently seen across the torsos of these medieval bronzes handled over the centuries. A small separately cast dharma-wheel is applied to the front of the base serving to identify the figure as Vairocana, who presides over the chakra family of buddhas and bodhisattvas. The lithe body and oval face with high forehead are common traits among these archaistic works, while the remains of stained cold gold and blue pigment in the hair attest to the sculpture's prolonged worship in Tibet.

A Shakyamuni Buddha, attributed 14th/15th century, in the Museum Rietberg, Zurich, shows a similar simplified treatment of the monastic robe, but a less ambitious rendering of the animals in the lower platform (Uhlig, On the Path to Enlightenment, 1995, p. 54, no. 15). Also in the Rietberg, a portrait of Palden Lodro, Abbot of Margom monastery, dated 1597, with lhantsa inscription and similar acute lotus petals supports a roughly contemporaneous attribution for the present sculpture.

銅鎏金大日如來像
西藏，十七世紀

來源
蘇富比，紐約，1976年前

在此尊十七世紀的大日如來造像中，藝術家借鑑了來自十世紀及十一世紀東北印度之帕拉時期的範例，其諸多造像於古代被帶至西藏，其中一十分近似之例著錄於von Schroeder，《Buddhist Sculpture in Tibet》，卷一，頁266，編號85A。其蓮花瓣造型，以及飾有雪獅、大象以及一蹲坐其中之伽那像，皆模仿了這些早期作品。此拍品之鑄造者甚至模仿中世紀銅像因數世紀摩挲而常見之磨損，如軀幹上的衣領。一分開鑄造的法輪被安於台座前側，用以標示此像為大日如來，統領眾佛及菩薩，位於曼荼羅之中央。纖細的身體、橢圓形的臉龐以及高前額，皆為彼時仿古作品之特徵。而存留的冷金和頭髮中殘留的藍色顏料證明這尊雕像曾長期在西藏受到敬拜。

蘇黎世瑞特堡博物館收藏的一尊釋迦牟尼像，被定為十四或十五世紀之作，展示出對僧袍相似的簡化處理，而台座上之動物之塑造則未如此精細（見Uhlig，《On the Path to Enlightenment》，1995年，頁54，編號15）。瑞特堡博物館另有一幅1597年之巴登羅卓畫像，其為瑪貢寺住持，畫像帶有西藏題記(以lhantsa寫)，以及相似的尖形蓮花瓣，為此尊銅造像之年代應大致與其同時期提供了支持。
Lot to be sold without reserve.
This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: *
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TVA sur les objets importés à un taux réduit de 5.5% sur le prix d'adjudication et un taux en vigueur sur la prime d'achat dans le cas où l'objet reste dans l'Union Européenne.

Very good condition overall, with minor nicks, dents, and scratches intermittently throughout the surface, most visible at the back of the figure and the rear lower edge of the base. Light greenish corrosion to the recessed areas at the front of the upper lotus petals. Smoky black residue and dust in recessed areas from exposure to temple lamps within the culture. Remains of gold pigment in the face, blue pigment in the hair, black and white pigment in the eyes, and red pigment in the lips. The base plate is missing and there are visual indications that it once had organic consecration materials. The piece survives with its original, separately cast wheel at the front of the lotus base, which has loosened over time but is otherwise securely fastened.
Please contact Alvina Ang (Alvina.Ang@bonhams.com) for related condition report images and video.