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Lot Essay
The Buddhist goddess Marichi, whose name means ‘Ray of Light’, is considered to be the Goddess of the Dawn. Ritual prayers to her are recited every morning at dawn. She drives away the night, darkness of ignorance, fear and is associated with light and removing obstacles. She is considered to be the counterpart of the sun god Surya. One of her most prominent iconographic characteristics is a sow or sow-head. Marichi can have different forms with as many as three heads and eight arms holding various attributes. The sow however is a constant iconographic characteristic whether by riding a chariot drawn by seven sow's, seated on a pig or represented with a sow’s head like the fine gilt-bronze example offered through our rooms.
In Tibet, Marichi is considered to be a form of the goddess Vajravarahi. It is not unlikely that Vajravarahi and thus as well Marichi is conceived by Buddhist teachers as an answer to the Hindu Varahi, one of the mother goddesses. Varahi enjoyed an independent cult and was regarded as a powerful deity in eastern India. It was indeed in this region under the Pala rulers during the eleventh to twelfth century that the first Buddhist Marichi examples can be found. Such an early gilt-bronze example is published by Ulrich von Schroeder in his monumental work ‘Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, vol. one, India & Nepal, Visual Dharma Publications Ltd., Hong Kong 2001, pl. 93 C. The Marichi cult found her way to Tibet, although again rarely to be encountered. A parcel gilt-bronze figure of her riding a chariot drawn by pigs and dated by the author to the thirteenth century is presently in the Summer Palace at Chengde and illustrated in Buddhist Art from Rehol: Tibetan Buddhist images and ritual objects from the Qing dynasty Summer Palace at Chengde, Chang Foundation, Taipei 1999, pl. 23.
She became part and parcel of an extended Vajrayana Buddhist repertoire. Tibetan Buddhist teachers introduced this specific Buddhist school in China during the Yuan dynasty. The first Marichi examples in China seem to have appeared only during the early Ming dynasty. A fine gilt-bronze Yongle (r. 1402-1424) example seated on a caparisoned sow is published by Ulrich von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, vol. two, Tibet & China, Visual Dharma Publishing Ltd., Hong Kong 2001, pl. 357 B.
Her appearance in Chinese, as in Tibetan religious art is extremely rare and just a few examples are published. In due time she became adopted as well by the more popular form of Buddhism in China. Here she is believed to be the mother of the Northern Star and referred to as ‘Dipper Mother’ (Doumu Yuanjun), a constellation in Sagittarius. Furthermore she even appeared in Daoism where she is often considered as the Queen of Heaven (Tian Hou).
As said Marichi can have different forms. The present superb gilt-bronze example shows three faces, including a central benign one flanked by a wrathful face and a sow’s head and she has eight arms. In general the goddess can hold a variety of attributes including moon, sun, needle, seal, bell, a thread, vajra, lasso, bow and arrow. Most prominent attributes shown here are the sun and moon emblems.
Another Chinese gilt-bronze Marichi example dated to the eighteenth century, though holding different attributes and of much smaller size (h. 26 cm) is published by Barbara Lipton and Nima Dorjee Ragnubs in Treasures of Tibetan Art: Collections of the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art, Oxford University Press, New York 1996, pl. 52. A much large Chinese example (h. 91.4 cm), showing as well the sun and moon emblems, is located in the Brooklyn Museum, New York, accession number 10.221 (fig.1).
Most likely the presented important Marichi gilt-bronze figure was created in one of the imperial ateliers during the Kangxi reign. He was an ardent follower of Tibetan Buddhism and many important bronzes were made during his reign. Especially if one compares the present example with the well-known Amitayus bronzes the figure demonstrates similar stylistic characteristics. See an Important bronze of Amitayus from Kangxi period sold in Christie's Paris, lot 412 A, 7 June 2011.
In Tibet, Marichi is considered to be a form of the goddess Vajravarahi. It is not unlikely that Vajravarahi and thus as well Marichi is conceived by Buddhist teachers as an answer to the Hindu Varahi, one of the mother goddesses. Varahi enjoyed an independent cult and was regarded as a powerful deity in eastern India. It was indeed in this region under the Pala rulers during the eleventh to twelfth century that the first Buddhist Marichi examples can be found. Such an early gilt-bronze example is published by Ulrich von Schroeder in his monumental work ‘Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, vol. one, India & Nepal, Visual Dharma Publications Ltd., Hong Kong 2001, pl. 93 C. The Marichi cult found her way to Tibet, although again rarely to be encountered. A parcel gilt-bronze figure of her riding a chariot drawn by pigs and dated by the author to the thirteenth century is presently in the Summer Palace at Chengde and illustrated in Buddhist Art from Rehol: Tibetan Buddhist images and ritual objects from the Qing dynasty Summer Palace at Chengde, Chang Foundation, Taipei 1999, pl. 23.
She became part and parcel of an extended Vajrayana Buddhist repertoire. Tibetan Buddhist teachers introduced this specific Buddhist school in China during the Yuan dynasty. The first Marichi examples in China seem to have appeared only during the early Ming dynasty. A fine gilt-bronze Yongle (r. 1402-1424) example seated on a caparisoned sow is published by Ulrich von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, vol. two, Tibet & China, Visual Dharma Publishing Ltd., Hong Kong 2001, pl. 357 B.
Her appearance in Chinese, as in Tibetan religious art is extremely rare and just a few examples are published. In due time she became adopted as well by the more popular form of Buddhism in China. Here she is believed to be the mother of the Northern Star and referred to as ‘Dipper Mother’ (Doumu Yuanjun), a constellation in Sagittarius. Furthermore she even appeared in Daoism where she is often considered as the Queen of Heaven (Tian Hou).
As said Marichi can have different forms. The present superb gilt-bronze example shows three faces, including a central benign one flanked by a wrathful face and a sow’s head and she has eight arms. In general the goddess can hold a variety of attributes including moon, sun, needle, seal, bell, a thread, vajra, lasso, bow and arrow. Most prominent attributes shown here are the sun and moon emblems.
Another Chinese gilt-bronze Marichi example dated to the eighteenth century, though holding different attributes and of much smaller size (h. 26 cm) is published by Barbara Lipton and Nima Dorjee Ragnubs in Treasures of Tibetan Art: Collections of the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art, Oxford University Press, New York 1996, pl. 52. A much large Chinese example (h. 91.4 cm), showing as well the sun and moon emblems, is located in the Brooklyn Museum, New York, accession number 10.221 (fig.1).
Most likely the presented important Marichi gilt-bronze figure was created in one of the imperial ateliers during the Kangxi reign. He was an ardent follower of Tibetan Buddhism and many important bronzes were made during his reign. Especially if one compares the present example with the well-known Amitayus bronzes the figure demonstrates similar stylistic characteristics. See an Important bronze of Amitayus from Kangxi period sold in Christie's Paris, lot 412 A, 7 June 2011.