Lot Essay
This Buddhist deity represents one of the Eight Lords of the Horse in the retinue of Vaishravana, each depicted riding a cloud-filled sky and carrying a mongoose spitting jewels. A closely-related gilt-copper Tibetan figure of Purnabhadra from the late 15th/early 16th century is in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, USA, accession no. 2001-44-1. The horse trappings, lotus base with cloud scrolls, face, size and style of casting are directly comparable to the present lot. The sculpture may also be compared with two further gilt-copper Buddhist deities from Vaishravana's horse-riding retinue sold at Sotheby's London, 15 May 2019, lot 105.