A silver- and copper-inlaid bronze figure of a Sakya Pandita

TIBET, 15TH/16TH CENTURY

Details

A silver- and copper-inlaid bronze figure of a Sakya Pandita
Tibet, 15th/16th century
Seated in dhyanasana over a double-lotus base with beaded rims, his hands in dharmachakramudra and holding lotus stems supporting a manuscript and sword, the face with silver- and copper-inlaid eyes, urna and lips, wearing thick robes with hems incised in a foliate pattern and lhansa characters inlaid in silver, the face surmounted by an ushnisha, an extensive inscription below
7 5/8 in. (19.3 cm.) high

Provenance

Collection of Mrs. van Hoogstraten, Fetlaar, Holland
Onno Janssens Collection, Netherlands, acquired in Antwerp by 2000

Literature

P. Pal, Tibet: Tradition and Change, 1997, p. 48-49, plate 24
Himalayan Art Resources, www.himalayanart.org, item no. 66791

Exhibited

Tibet: Tradition and Change, The Albuquerque Museum, 18 October 1997 -- 18 January 1998

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Lot Essay

Sakya Pandita along with Rahula and Nagarjuna are the only three human figures to be portrayed with the ushnisha, a lakshana otherwise reserved for deities. The inscription is translated and published as "The Mind of Buddhas in the three periods of time, Is the non-dual wisdom of Manjughosh. He is the Glorious Sakya Pandita. I prostrate always before his lotus feet."

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