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Lot Essay
Vajradharma Lokesvhara, depicted here opening a lotus flower, is identifiable by his distinctive attributes: the effigy of Amitabha on the central petal of the crown; the antelope skin draped over the proper-left shoulder; and the peacock vehicle. These attributes are a precise description of this form of Avalokiteshvara of the Vajradhatu Mandala in the Sadhanamala, a Sanskrit compendium of Tantric meditational texts. Therein, Vajradharma Lokesvhara is described with pupils “dilated with joy,” and this artist achieved just that.
As indicated by the inscription “Lha Nagaraja” in Tibetan Uchen script on the lower recto of the base, this fine figure of Vajradharma Lokeshvara belonged to the monk Lhatsun Nagaraja, son of the ruler of Western Tibet, Lama Yeshe Od (950-1040). Rob Linrothe and Christian Luczanits have provided insight into the collecting habits of individuals and institutions in Western Tibet during the tenth—twelfth centuries (see R. Linrothe, Collecting Paradise, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 2014). Nagaraja is amongst a few Tibetan individuals identified as collectors. Both Nagaraja (r. 998-1026) and Shiwa Od, royal preceptor of the Guge Kingdom (1016-1111), had their names inscribed upon collected sculptures, either as an indicator of ownership or as a sign of devotion.
The wide eyes, high-arched brows, simple necklace and armbands, aureole, and stepped base are all attributes of the Kashmiri idiom imported to Western Tibet. Attributes including the sharp nose, inset chin, and floral garland all closely resemble larger sculptures found at Alchi Monastery in Ladakh; see C. Luczanits in Collecting Paradise, fig. 2.42, p. 138. A large painted wood sculpture of Vajradharma in the same style can also be found at Ropa monastery, once the heart of the Western Tibetan Kingdom of Guge (see C. Luczanits,“Early Buddhist Wood Carvings in Himachal Pradesh,” Orientations, Volume 27, No. 6, June 1996, fig. 13, p. 75).
The present figure was originally part of a larger set of figures that make up a three-dimensional mandala. Multiple published figures from this set are adorned with the same inscription: two in private collections, depicting Vajrakarma and the deity Nagaraja (Chaofu Collection, HAR item no. 57863); and two Pancharaksha goddesses at Shakyamuni Temple in Chitkul, Kinnaur District, Himachal Pradesh; see S. Laxman S, “Buddhist Bronzes from the Hindustan-Tibet Road: An Appraisal of Recent Discoveries,” Oriental Art XLVI (1), p. 73–77.
As indicated by the inscription “Lha Nagaraja” in Tibetan Uchen script on the lower recto of the base, this fine figure of Vajradharma Lokeshvara belonged to the monk Lhatsun Nagaraja, son of the ruler of Western Tibet, Lama Yeshe Od (950-1040). Rob Linrothe and Christian Luczanits have provided insight into the collecting habits of individuals and institutions in Western Tibet during the tenth—twelfth centuries (see R. Linrothe, Collecting Paradise, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 2014). Nagaraja is amongst a few Tibetan individuals identified as collectors. Both Nagaraja (r. 998-1026) and Shiwa Od, royal preceptor of the Guge Kingdom (1016-1111), had their names inscribed upon collected sculptures, either as an indicator of ownership or as a sign of devotion.
The wide eyes, high-arched brows, simple necklace and armbands, aureole, and stepped base are all attributes of the Kashmiri idiom imported to Western Tibet. Attributes including the sharp nose, inset chin, and floral garland all closely resemble larger sculptures found at Alchi Monastery in Ladakh; see C. Luczanits in Collecting Paradise, fig. 2.42, p. 138. A large painted wood sculpture of Vajradharma in the same style can also be found at Ropa monastery, once the heart of the Western Tibetan Kingdom of Guge (see C. Luczanits,“Early Buddhist Wood Carvings in Himachal Pradesh,” Orientations, Volume 27, No. 6, June 1996, fig. 13, p. 75).
The present figure was originally part of a larger set of figures that make up a three-dimensional mandala. Multiple published figures from this set are adorned with the same inscription: two in private collections, depicting Vajrakarma and the deity Nagaraja (Chaofu Collection, HAR item no. 57863); and two Pancharaksha goddesses at Shakyamuni Temple in Chitkul, Kinnaur District, Himachal Pradesh; see S. Laxman S, “Buddhist Bronzes from the Hindustan-Tibet Road: An Appraisal of Recent Discoveries,” Oriental Art XLVI (1), p. 73–77.