.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
This rare and powerfully cast sculpture depicts Vajrayogini in her form as Vajravarahi, the "Adamantine Sow." Characterized by a distinct female boar’s muzzle emerging from the right side of her head, she stands in a dynamic dancing posture upon a prostrate body, baring her teeth while brandishing a kartika (curved knife) and a blood-filled kapala (skull cup). Her opulent adornments include garlands of severed human heads, a skull diadem, and intricately cast strings of pearls combined with rosettes.
Surviving images of wrathful Vajrayana deities datable to the Yuan dynasty are exceedingly limited. The sculpture exhibits a heavy, square facial structure with furrowed eyebrows, alongside stocky, powerful limbs characteristic of fourteenth-century artistic conventions. Her waist displays a distinct ruyi-shaped cloud collar apron, a decorative motif mirrored on Yuan dynasty ceramics. Furthermore, the precise rendering of the lotus base and rosette jewelry closely parallels a gilt-bronze Manjushri dated to 1305 from the Qing Court Collection, preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing (The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Buddhist Statues of Tibet, 2003, pl. 209).
Stylistic elements reveal a complex synthesis of regional traditions. The star rosette pendants, girdle, and rosette earrings trace their lineage to Five Dynasties and Liao models, while the facial features share affinities with the Dali Kingdom. The treatment of the looping scarves and the additional engraving of lotus leaves on the reverse of the base correlate with the Yuan-period Vajrabhairava mandala in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1992.54).
Iconographic features tie this icon to the Tangut (Xixia) Buddhist tradition. The prostrate figure beneath her feet displays a triangular hair layout and backing lotus motif characteristic of Xixia aesthetics. This aligns with the thriving cult of Vajravarahi in the Tangut territory between the 11th and 13th centuries, which is historically documented by the construction of the Vajravarahi Cave at Liangzhou in 1130 CE, extant Khara-Khoto thangkas, and localized translations of related Tantric manuscripts.
Surviving images of wrathful Vajrayana deities datable to the Yuan dynasty are exceedingly limited. The sculpture exhibits a heavy, square facial structure with furrowed eyebrows, alongside stocky, powerful limbs characteristic of fourteenth-century artistic conventions. Her waist displays a distinct ruyi-shaped cloud collar apron, a decorative motif mirrored on Yuan dynasty ceramics. Furthermore, the precise rendering of the lotus base and rosette jewelry closely parallels a gilt-bronze Manjushri dated to 1305 from the Qing Court Collection, preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing (The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Buddhist Statues of Tibet, 2003, pl. 209).
Stylistic elements reveal a complex synthesis of regional traditions. The star rosette pendants, girdle, and rosette earrings trace their lineage to Five Dynasties and Liao models, while the facial features share affinities with the Dali Kingdom. The treatment of the looping scarves and the additional engraving of lotus leaves on the reverse of the base correlate with the Yuan-period Vajrabhairava mandala in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1992.54).
Iconographic features tie this icon to the Tangut (Xixia) Buddhist tradition. The prostrate figure beneath her feet displays a triangular hair layout and backing lotus motif characteristic of Xixia aesthetics. This aligns with the thriving cult of Vajravarahi in the Tangut territory between the 11th and 13th centuries, which is historically documented by the construction of the Vajravarahi Cave at Liangzhou in 1130 CE, extant Khara-Khoto thangkas, and localized translations of related Tantric manuscripts.