拍品 347
347
A gilt bronze figure of Hanuman
Property from a Private Northwestern Collection
A gilt bronze figure of Hanuman

NEPAL, 17TH CENTURY

細節
A gilt bronze figure of Hanuman
Nepal, 17th century
The four-faced tantric figure backed by a flaming halo, with a central monkey face, a lion and Garuda faces on either side, a boar at back and possibly a rabbit on top, wearing a short dhoti, a garland of severed heads and jewelry, holding a variety of accountrements in his ten hands, including a mountain in his upper left, striding over a semi-prone figure on a circular base
10¾ in. (27.5 cm.) high

拍品專文

This figure appears to be a Tantric Hanuman of the Vaishnava tradition. The lion and boar represent two avatars of Vishnu (Narasimha and Varaha, respectively), Garuda is Vishnu's mount, the rabbit relates to the moon, and the monkey Hanuman is the friend and attendant of Rama, another avatar of Vishnu. This identification is supported by the object that Hanuman holds in his upper left hand and with which he is closely identified in the Ramayana. In order to save Ram's brother, Hanuman transported the Himalayan mountain Dronagiri with its healing herbs in its entirety to the island of Lanka, thus earning Rama's unconditional friendship.