A group of three bronze figures of female deities

INDONESIA, JAVA, 10TH/11TH CENTURY

Details

A group of three bronze figures of female deities
Indonesia, Java, 10th/11th century
Each seated on a double-lotus base, clad in a dhoti and richly adorned with various jewelry and the sacred thread, the face with serene expression surmounted by a tiara, the hair arranged in a tall chignon, including one holding a bowl in her raised right hand, another holding vajras in her crossed hands and clutching a third to her chest, and a third stretching a bow in her extended left hand
4¼ in. (10.8 cm.), the highest (4)

Provenance

Acquired in California on 3 April 1998

Lot Essay

The present bronzes would have likely formed part of a large three-dimensional representation of the Vajdradhatu (Diamond Realm) mandala. At the center of the mandala would have been a large figure of Vairochana, and these female deities would have been associated with this figure or one of the other Tathagatas. Such an impressive arrangement demonstrates the wide geographical transmission of Vajrayana Buddhism from its birthplace in Northeastern India.

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