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Lot Essay
This monumental image of Manjushri, the bodhisattva of transcendent wisdom, represents a pinnacle of late 12th/early 13th century Himalayan sculpture, combining Pala-derived iconography with distinct Newar stylistic refinement. Its artistic quality and scale reflect the importance of Manjushri in Tibetan Buddhist devotion, particularly within the Sakya school, and its close association with the historic Shalu Monastery, a major center of art and scholarship in Tsang, Southern Tibet.
The figure’s most striking feature is the synthesis of Pala and Newar aesthetics, emblematic of the Newari artisan presence at Shalu during its major early renovation period. The prominent, gem necklace, stylised lotus pedestal, and gently curved Pala-style browline anchoring the face to the bridge of the nose evoke eastern Indian prototypes, while other elements, the towering crown, elaborate flower earrings, and the bold, almond-shaped eyes are unmistakably Newari in execution.
The figure’s hair curls sweep dramatically across the forehead, rising in a bifurcated plume from the scalp, another Newar hallmark. The tight-fitting dhoti, ornamented with rosettes, chevrons, and scrolling vine motifs, is rendered in wide decorative bands that mirror the textiles seen in both Nepalese and eastern Indian bronze tradition. Banded designs that represent similar lozenges containing flowers are also found on the dhoti of the tathagata Akshobhya in the wall mural in the South Chapel at Shalu (Thomas Laird, Murals of Tibet, Taschen, 2008, p. 386). The mismatched lotuses beneath the base, an idiosyncratic detail, further emphasise the individuality and workshop-level variation that characterised Newar craftsmanship.
Additional features, such as the full, well-defined lips, notably heavy jewellery, thick fingers, and large, finely articulated thick right palm (bearing a diamond-shaped motif and holding a bead or gem), match closely with a standing bodhisattva preserved at Shalu Monastery, as illustrated in von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, Vol. II, 2002, p. 1025, nos. 252D (fig. 1). The details are so closely matched, it is likely they were produced at the same atelier and even by the same hand.
As Yury Khokholov has noted ('The Xi Xia Legacy in Sino-Tibetan Art of the Yuan Dynasty', Asianart.com, September 15, 2016), during the 13th century, there was a growing reliance on Newar craftsmen to execute large-scale and high-quality commissions in Tibet. By 1260, even for the construction of the golden stupa at Sakya Monastery, the Sakya hierarchs had to request assistance from the king of Nepal, who sent eighty artisans, among them Newars and Indians. This trend continued at Shalu Monastery, where local ruler Drakpa Gyaltsen, beginning renovations in 1306, had to turn to Yuan imperial workshops due to the persistent shortage of skilled local Tibetan sculptors.
This context highlights the extraordinary value of Newar artists like Anigne (Aniko) and his peers, who were among the very few Tibetans or Himalayan artists involved with Mongol imperial commissions and were in high demand within Tibet itself. The exceptional quality and cross-cultural synthesis evident in this figure strongly suggest it was created under such Newar direction, likely for a major religious and scholastic institution such as Shalu.
The late 12th/early 13th century marked a pivotal time at Shalu Monastery, situated near Shigatse, as it underwent significant expansion and decorative renovation under the patronage of local Sakya rulers and later the Mongol-backed elite. This period saw the influx of highly trained Newar artisans from the Kathmandu Valley, who played a central role in both sculpture and mural painting, helping to forge the distinctive Tibeto‑Newar artistic vocabulary that would define north‑central Tibetan Buddhist art for centuries. According to Ulrich von Schroeder, monumental images, such as the eight bodhisattvas at Sera Monastery and several statues at Shalu (ibid, figs. 229C, 230A–B), were most likely cast by Newar ateliers working in Tibet, while Newar artists painted the monastery walls.
This colossal image thus stands not only as a remarkable work of art, but also as a historical document of 12th century Tibetan artistic excellence. It captures the interplay of regional styles, the importance of trans-Himalayan artisan networks, and the central place of Manjushri in Tibetan culture, particularly in the Sakya monastic tradition.
The figure’s most striking feature is the synthesis of Pala and Newar aesthetics, emblematic of the Newari artisan presence at Shalu during its major early renovation period. The prominent, gem necklace, stylised lotus pedestal, and gently curved Pala-style browline anchoring the face to the bridge of the nose evoke eastern Indian prototypes, while other elements, the towering crown, elaborate flower earrings, and the bold, almond-shaped eyes are unmistakably Newari in execution.
The figure’s hair curls sweep dramatically across the forehead, rising in a bifurcated plume from the scalp, another Newar hallmark. The tight-fitting dhoti, ornamented with rosettes, chevrons, and scrolling vine motifs, is rendered in wide decorative bands that mirror the textiles seen in both Nepalese and eastern Indian bronze tradition. Banded designs that represent similar lozenges containing flowers are also found on the dhoti of the tathagata Akshobhya in the wall mural in the South Chapel at Shalu (Thomas Laird, Murals of Tibet, Taschen, 2008, p. 386). The mismatched lotuses beneath the base, an idiosyncratic detail, further emphasise the individuality and workshop-level variation that characterised Newar craftsmanship.
Additional features, such as the full, well-defined lips, notably heavy jewellery, thick fingers, and large, finely articulated thick right palm (bearing a diamond-shaped motif and holding a bead or gem), match closely with a standing bodhisattva preserved at Shalu Monastery, as illustrated in von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, Vol. II, 2002, p. 1025, nos. 252D (fig. 1). The details are so closely matched, it is likely they were produced at the same atelier and even by the same hand.
As Yury Khokholov has noted ('The Xi Xia Legacy in Sino-Tibetan Art of the Yuan Dynasty', Asianart.com, September 15, 2016), during the 13th century, there was a growing reliance on Newar craftsmen to execute large-scale and high-quality commissions in Tibet. By 1260, even for the construction of the golden stupa at Sakya Monastery, the Sakya hierarchs had to request assistance from the king of Nepal, who sent eighty artisans, among them Newars and Indians. This trend continued at Shalu Monastery, where local ruler Drakpa Gyaltsen, beginning renovations in 1306, had to turn to Yuan imperial workshops due to the persistent shortage of skilled local Tibetan sculptors.
This context highlights the extraordinary value of Newar artists like Anigne (Aniko) and his peers, who were among the very few Tibetans or Himalayan artists involved with Mongol imperial commissions and were in high demand within Tibet itself. The exceptional quality and cross-cultural synthesis evident in this figure strongly suggest it was created under such Newar direction, likely for a major religious and scholastic institution such as Shalu.
The late 12th/early 13th century marked a pivotal time at Shalu Monastery, situated near Shigatse, as it underwent significant expansion and decorative renovation under the patronage of local Sakya rulers and later the Mongol-backed elite. This period saw the influx of highly trained Newar artisans from the Kathmandu Valley, who played a central role in both sculpture and mural painting, helping to forge the distinctive Tibeto‑Newar artistic vocabulary that would define north‑central Tibetan Buddhist art for centuries. According to Ulrich von Schroeder, monumental images, such as the eight bodhisattvas at Sera Monastery and several statues at Shalu (ibid, figs. 229C, 230A–B), were most likely cast by Newar ateliers working in Tibet, while Newar artists painted the monastery walls.
This colossal image thus stands not only as a remarkable work of art, but also as a historical document of 12th century Tibetan artistic excellence. It captures the interplay of regional styles, the importance of trans-Himalayan artisan networks, and the central place of Manjushri in Tibetan culture, particularly in the Sakya monastic tradition.