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Lot Essay
Vajrabhairava or Yamantaka is one of the eight protectors of Tibetan Buddhism. He is the terrifying form of Manjusri, the God of Wisdom, who's head is visible in the flaming hairdress. He took the present wrathfull form in order to conquer Yama, the God of Death and thus symbolizing the victory of Wisdom or Knowledge over Death. In the Tibetan Buddhist realm Death is considered as ignorance.
In his present aspect of Vajrabhairava, he is also associated with the Hindu god Bhairava, who on his turn is an emanation of Siva, and destroys the universe at the end of each Hindu aeon. By corporating both aspects, Vajrabhairava became one the most powerful divinities of Tibetan Buddhism.
The creation of this bronze example of Vajrabhairava was a real tour de force, as he is casted in various parts, while most attributes are moulded separate. It is one of the largest mid-fifteenth century bronzes known in western private or public collections, casted in the imperial foundries of Beijing. Only one other bronze, depicting Hevajra, almost matches his size and dates too from the same period. (see J. van Goidsenhoven, Art Lamaique, Art des Dieux, Bruxelles 1970, pl. 117).
Another interesting aspect is that divinities depicted in sexual embrace, like the one under review, are extremely rare to find amongst Tibeto Chinese examples from the imperial foundries.
Unfortunately it lacks the imperial dedication like the Vajrasattva bronze of lot 10. The Vajrabhairava can be placed on a stylistic ground slightly after both Yongle and Xuande dated bronzes if one compares for instance their bases, moulded with lotus petals. The petals of Vajrabhairava's base are more elaborate rendered than the earlier Yongle and Xuande bronzes and can be better compared with a circa A.D. 1450 Guanyin, presently in the Cleveland Museum of Art (published by Sh. C. Bills, Sino Tibetan Sculpture: The Tibetan Legacy, p. 156, in P. Pal (ed.), On the Path to Void: Buddhist Art of the Tibetan Realm, Marg, Mumbai 1996). The bronze under discussion is definite earlier than a bronze placed around the late fifteenth/early sixteenth century (Bills, p. 157), which has a much smaller pearled border around the base, characteristic for later Tibeto Chinese bronzes.
It is not to be excluded that the Vajrabhairava bronze was casted at the beginning of the Chenghua era (A.D. 1465 - 1487), which saw a short revival of Tibetan Buddism at the imperial court of Beijing. The bronze is therefore almost contemporary with the important A.D. 1479 dated painting to be offered as lot 9.
In his present aspect of Vajrabhairava, he is also associated with the Hindu god Bhairava, who on his turn is an emanation of Siva, and destroys the universe at the end of each Hindu aeon. By corporating both aspects, Vajrabhairava became one the most powerful divinities of Tibetan Buddhism.
The creation of this bronze example of Vajrabhairava was a real tour de force, as he is casted in various parts, while most attributes are moulded separate. It is one of the largest mid-fifteenth century bronzes known in western private or public collections, casted in the imperial foundries of Beijing. Only one other bronze, depicting Hevajra, almost matches his size and dates too from the same period. (see J. van Goidsenhoven, Art Lamaique, Art des Dieux, Bruxelles 1970, pl. 117).
Another interesting aspect is that divinities depicted in sexual embrace, like the one under review, are extremely rare to find amongst Tibeto Chinese examples from the imperial foundries.
Unfortunately it lacks the imperial dedication like the Vajrasattva bronze of lot 10. The Vajrabhairava can be placed on a stylistic ground slightly after both Yongle and Xuande dated bronzes if one compares for instance their bases, moulded with lotus petals. The petals of Vajrabhairava's base are more elaborate rendered than the earlier Yongle and Xuande bronzes and can be better compared with a circa A.D. 1450 Guanyin, presently in the Cleveland Museum of Art (published by Sh. C. Bills, Sino Tibetan Sculpture: The Tibetan Legacy, p. 156, in P. Pal (ed.), On the Path to Void: Buddhist Art of the Tibetan Realm, Marg, Mumbai 1996). The bronze under discussion is definite earlier than a bronze placed around the late fifteenth/early sixteenth century (Bills, p. 157), which has a much smaller pearled border around the base, characteristic for later Tibeto Chinese bronzes.
It is not to be excluded that the Vajrabhairava bronze was casted at the beginning of the Chenghua era (A.D. 1465 - 1487), which saw a short revival of Tibetan Buddism at the imperial court of Beijing. The bronze is therefore almost contemporary with the important A.D. 1479 dated painting to be offered as lot 9.