.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
The present figure is an exquisite example of early Tibetan bronze casting and an important representation of Buddhist principles from a period of especially fervent worship. The artist has rendered the Buddha with an extraordinarily dynamic vitality; every aspect of the body, from the curled toes and elongated fingers to the lean and muscular torso, conveys a sense of energized balance. The face, with its gentle smile and steady gaze, perfectly captures Buddha's promise of enlightenment.
Around the time of this sculpture's creation, Buddhism was rapidly expanding in all areas of Tibet. While the religion had been introduced as early as the eighth century, and possibly earlier, it was officially abolished during the reign of King Langdarma (r.838-841 CE). His assassination led to the dissolution of his Tibetan empire, and in the ensuing years of chaos the Buddhist institutions were heavily neglected. It was not until the eleventh century that a king of Western Tibet invited the Indian scholar Atisha (980-1054) to preach in Tibet. Alongside students and scholars from other regions, Atisha labored passionately to translate the Indian sutras into the Tibetan language. His visit also initiated the organization of the various Buddhist sects into monastic institutions.
The renewed fervor for Buddhism led to an increased demand for Buddhist images. Prior to the eleventh century, Tibet had very few skilled metal workers. Looking outside its borders, Buddhist institutions commissioned artisans from Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Nepal, and Northeastern India, regions which had well-established metal casting traditions. Early Tibetan bronzes thus show significant influences from these regions. Most pronounced in the present work is the influence of the Pala style, especially seen in the attenuated fingers and Indian facial features.
Following the destruction of the Buddhist institutions in Northeastern India by Muslim armies at the end of the twelveth century, artisans from the area fled north to Tibet and Nepal. It is likely the present bronze is the work of an Indian or a Tibetan artisan imitating a Pala image. A very closely related example, with similar Pala facial features and unusual flaming jewel formerly in the Zimmerman Family Collection and now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, must be from the same region or workshop (see M. Rhie, et al, Wisdom and Compassion: The Sacred Art of Tibet, expanded edition, 1997, p. 74, cat. no. 2). Without additional iconographic information, it is not possible to readily identify the figure. However, the mudras suggest the present bronze may depict the Tathagata Amoghasiddhi in his nirmanakaya aspect or "emanation body." A concept of tantric Vajrayana Buddhism, the Five Tathagatas (Vairochana, Amitabha, Akshobya, Ratnasambhava, and Amoghasiddhi) each represent an aspect of Buddhahood. Each is iconographically distinguished by his skin color, attendants, partners, animal vehicle, and pertinently, their mudras. In contrast to the sambhogakaya aspect, where the Tathagatas are shown in the princely garb of a bodhisattva, the nirmanakaya form depicts them as worldly Buddhas clad in simple sanghatis. If the present bronze does indeed represent Amoghasiddhi, it would have likely been joined by representations of the four other Tathagatas. While rare, there is precedent for such a set; a complete group of the Five Tathagatas in their "emanation bodies" from roughly the same period resides in the collection of the Nyetang Monastery (see U. von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculpture in Tibet, vol. II, p. 1162, pls. 308A-C).
Around the time of this sculpture's creation, Buddhism was rapidly expanding in all areas of Tibet. While the religion had been introduced as early as the eighth century, and possibly earlier, it was officially abolished during the reign of King Langdarma (r.838-841 CE). His assassination led to the dissolution of his Tibetan empire, and in the ensuing years of chaos the Buddhist institutions were heavily neglected. It was not until the eleventh century that a king of Western Tibet invited the Indian scholar Atisha (980-1054) to preach in Tibet. Alongside students and scholars from other regions, Atisha labored passionately to translate the Indian sutras into the Tibetan language. His visit also initiated the organization of the various Buddhist sects into monastic institutions.
The renewed fervor for Buddhism led to an increased demand for Buddhist images. Prior to the eleventh century, Tibet had very few skilled metal workers. Looking outside its borders, Buddhist institutions commissioned artisans from Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Nepal, and Northeastern India, regions which had well-established metal casting traditions. Early Tibetan bronzes thus show significant influences from these regions. Most pronounced in the present work is the influence of the Pala style, especially seen in the attenuated fingers and Indian facial features.
Following the destruction of the Buddhist institutions in Northeastern India by Muslim armies at the end of the twelveth century, artisans from the area fled north to Tibet and Nepal. It is likely the present bronze is the work of an Indian or a Tibetan artisan imitating a Pala image. A very closely related example, with similar Pala facial features and unusual flaming jewel formerly in the Zimmerman Family Collection and now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, must be from the same region or workshop (see M. Rhie, et al, Wisdom and Compassion: The Sacred Art of Tibet, expanded edition, 1997, p. 74, cat. no. 2). Without additional iconographic information, it is not possible to readily identify the figure. However, the mudras suggest the present bronze may depict the Tathagata Amoghasiddhi in his nirmanakaya aspect or "emanation body." A concept of tantric Vajrayana Buddhism, the Five Tathagatas (Vairochana, Amitabha, Akshobya, Ratnasambhava, and Amoghasiddhi) each represent an aspect of Buddhahood. Each is iconographically distinguished by his skin color, attendants, partners, animal vehicle, and pertinently, their mudras. In contrast to the sambhogakaya aspect, where the Tathagatas are shown in the princely garb of a bodhisattva, the nirmanakaya form depicts them as worldly Buddhas clad in simple sanghatis. If the present bronze does indeed represent Amoghasiddhi, it would have likely been joined by representations of the four other Tathagatas. While rare, there is precedent for such a set; a complete group of the Five Tathagatas in their "emanation bodies" from roughly the same period resides in the collection of the Nyetang Monastery (see U. von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculpture in Tibet, vol. II, p. 1162, pls. 308A-C).