Lot 65
65
A Gilt Copper Figure of a Mahapandita
A Gilt Copper Figure of a Mahapandita

TIBET, 15TH CENTURY

Details
A Gilt Copper Figure of a Mahapandita
Tibet, 15th Century
Seated in padmasana, his right hand in vitarka mudra, his left holding up a book, his head slightly tilted to the left in a contemplative expression, wearing flowing robes with incised hems and a red pandita hat, the base finely cast in openwork with various aspects of Jambhala in between pillars, the centermost riding atop a lion and holding a parasol and mongoose, richly gilt overall and with remains of cold gilding and polychrome to the hat, base sealed
6¼ in. (15.8 cm.) high
Literature
Spink, Perfect Worlds, Buddhist Art from the Himalayas, 1999, cat. no. 27.

Lot Essay

As this piece bears no inscription, the exact identity of the figure is unclear. On the basis of his hat, book, and mudra, he is probably a mahapandita, one of the great scholar sages of Indian Buddhism, such as Aryadeva, Dignaga, Gunaprabha, or Buddhapalita.

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