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Lot Essay
The earliest bodhisattvas of the Buddhist pantheon, referred to as the Three Lords, are depicted here in a triad. Manjushri stands center with his standard book and sword, Vajrapani flanking his proper-right and Avalokiteshvara on his proper-left. The triad became a standard in the nascent years of Mahayana Buddhism and integrated into the expanded Vajrayana Buddhist pantheon.
Though many extant examples are published, little scholarship is focused on this type of early Tibetan sculpture, which schematizes and dramatizes aspects of earlier Indian Buddhist prototypes. The treatment of the crown and jatas in particular, standardized in Buddhist and Hindu Pala-period sculpture by the 11th century, are distinctively elongated on each of these figures. Compare the present example to a very similar bronze illustrated as figure a, below.
Himalayan Art Resources (himalayanart.org), item no. 24489.
Though many extant examples are published, little scholarship is focused on this type of early Tibetan sculpture, which schematizes and dramatizes aspects of earlier Indian Buddhist prototypes. The treatment of the crown and jatas in particular, standardized in Buddhist and Hindu Pala-period sculpture by the 11th century, are distinctively elongated on each of these figures. Compare the present example to a very similar bronze illustrated as figure a, below.
Himalayan Art Resources (himalayanart.org), item no. 24489.