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Lot Essay
This majestic figure of Chakrasamvara, measuring 60 cm. high, is a rare example of large wood Buddhist sculptures made for the imperial court during the early Qing dynasty. The impressive size, intricate details and rich colours reveal the finest workmanship seen only on Imperial works of art. The elaborate lotus petals, richly layered and enclosing scroll motifs, can be seen on some Kangxi Buddhist figures as well, such as the famous figure of Avalokitesvara Shadakshari, commissioned by the Kangxi Emperor for his grandmother the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang in 1697, now in the collection of the Palace Museum. The Kangxi Emperor, under the influence of his beloved grandmother, was a devout follower of Tibetan Buddhism, and established the Office for the Recitation of Sutras inside the Hall of Central Uprightness in 1697, an institution devoted to Tibetan Buddhist affairs specifically.
Chakrasamvara is the primary meditation deity of the various Kagyu Schools of Tibetan Buddhism, and together with Guhyasamāja and Yanmāntaka, form the three most important deities of the Gelug School. Chakrasamvara has many manifestations, including that of a single face with two arms, and a single face with four arms. However a number of large-sized figures of Chakrasamvara preserved in Qing imperial temples or palaces are represented with four faces and twelve arms, just like the current figure. The Pule Temple in the Chengde Summer Palace, for example, houses an enormous bronze figure of Chakrasamvara measuring 250 cm. high, which has a similar pose as the current figure. Yuhuage (Pavilion of Raining Flowers), the Buddhist temple inside the Forbidden City, preserves another figure of Chakrasamvara, similarly standing in yabyum embracing his consort with multiple arms and faces.
The current figure was first illustrated in the publication Art Lamaïque : Art des Dieux in 1970. In the same catalogue, there is a polychrome wood figure of the deity Guhyasamāja of very similar size, style and technique (pls. v7-v9), suggesting they were likely made in the same period, possibly together with the deity Yanmāntaka, as a group of three.
Chakrasamvara is the primary meditation deity of the various Kagyu Schools of Tibetan Buddhism, and together with Guhyasamāja and Yanmāntaka, form the three most important deities of the Gelug School. Chakrasamvara has many manifestations, including that of a single face with two arms, and a single face with four arms. However a number of large-sized figures of Chakrasamvara preserved in Qing imperial temples or palaces are represented with four faces and twelve arms, just like the current figure. The Pule Temple in the Chengde Summer Palace, for example, houses an enormous bronze figure of Chakrasamvara measuring 250 cm. high, which has a similar pose as the current figure. Yuhuage (Pavilion of Raining Flowers), the Buddhist temple inside the Forbidden City, preserves another figure of Chakrasamvara, similarly standing in yabyum embracing his consort with multiple arms and faces.
The current figure was first illustrated in the publication Art Lamaïque : Art des Dieux in 1970. In the same catalogue, there is a polychrome wood figure of the deity Guhyasamāja of very similar size, style and technique (pls. v7-v9), suggesting they were likely made in the same period, possibly together with the deity Yanmāntaka, as a group of three.