A gilt bronze figure of Hevajra and Nairatmya

NEPAL, KHASAMALLA, 13TH CENTURY

Details

A gilt bronze figure of Hevajra and Nairatmya
Nepal, Khasamalla, 13th Century
The four-legged Hevajra striding in pratyalidhasana together with Nairatmya over three prostrated figures atop a double-lotus base, his bent foot supported atop a kneeling fourth figure with folded hands, with eight faces and sixteen arms all holding skullcups with animals and gods, both wearing elaborate belts with beaded festoons, garlands of severed heads and skull tiaras, an effaced inscription at the front
9 in. (22.8 cm.) high

Provenance

Private collection, New Jersey, acquired before 1968
By descent to present owner by 1980

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Lot Essay

This is a superb example of the fine metal working tradition of the Khasa Malla kingdom which spanned Western Tibet and Nepal and flourished between the 12th and 14th centuries. During their reign techniques of bronze casting reached high levels of refinement, as is evident in the present piece; see I. Alsop, 'The Metal Sculpture of the Khasa Malla Kingdom', Orientations, June 1994, pp. 61-68.

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