.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
This large figure represents the seated bodhisattva,Shadakshari Lokeshvara, a ubiquitous four-armed emanation of Avalokiteshvara. Shadakshari serves the role as lord of the six realms of existence (demons, ghosts, animals, humans, demigods and gods) and is closely associated with the pervasive six-syllable mantra om mani padme hum, or ‘hail to the jewel in the lotus.’ The present example is a fine example of fifteenth-century Tibetan metal casting, with a well-modeled serene face and detailed ornaments, while incorporating additional stylistic qualities from earlier Chinese workshops.
The bodhisattva is seated in dhyanasana with his two primary hands joined in a gesture of respectful salutation, anjalimudra, and the other pair raised to each shoulder in vitarkamudra. Shadakshari’s face is distinctly Tibetan in style; square and linear, with protruding arched brows, narrow nose and elongated eyes centered with a turquoise-inlaid urna, the figure carries a benevolent expression. The figure’s ornaments, elaborately cast ear pendants, a large, five-petal tiara, pointed arm bands and a simple necklace are also hallmarks of Central and Western Tibetan bronzes. Other stylistic qualities, however, can be likened to fourteenth-century Buddhist bronzes from the Chinese Yuan dynasty (1279-1368). This is most evident in the treatment of Shadakshari’s robes and body proportions, including the mantle-like shawl draped over the shoulders and tight horizontal cinching at the figure’s waist.
The Yuan dynasty influence here is best demonstrated when comparing the present figure to a bronze figure of Cintamanichakra, which includes similar qualities in the draping of the skirt, illustrated by R. Bigler in Art and Faith at the Crossroads: Tibeto-Chinese Buddhist Images and Ritual Implements from the 12th-15th Century, Zurich, 2013, p. 50, fig. 17. It is likely that the present figure of Shadakshari Lokeshvara would have originally sat on a base similar to the example illustrated by Bigler. The characteristics in the drapery can also be noticed in gilt-bronzes from the Xi Xia Empire, which had lasting influence on the Yuan dynasty. See, for example, a gilt-bronze figure of Shadakshari Lokeshvara from the twelfth-thirteenth century Xi Xia Empire, published by Yury Khokhlov in “The Xi Xia Legacy in Sino-Tibetan Art of the Yuan Dynasty,” asianart.com, 2016, figure 34.
The present work can also be compared to a fourteenth-fifteenth century bronze figure of Sarvavid Vairochana illustrated by U. von Schroeder in Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, vol. II, Hong Kong, 2001, p. 1205, no. 329B-C, which appears to be similarly draped and influenced by Yuan dynasty prototypes. The strong Tibetan physiognomy and ungilded, warm tones of the alloy and patina of the present bronze can also be compared to a fifteenth-century Tsangri figure of Vajradhara from the Claude de Marteau Collection (see Himalayan Art Resources, item no. 4840). While the Yuan-influenced treatment of the body, and the great size of the figure differentiates this piece from these Central Tibetan examples, the presence of scriptural scrolls within the consecration chamber further places the present figure within a Tibetan Buddhist context.
The bodhisattva is seated in dhyanasana with his two primary hands joined in a gesture of respectful salutation, anjalimudra, and the other pair raised to each shoulder in vitarkamudra. Shadakshari’s face is distinctly Tibetan in style; square and linear, with protruding arched brows, narrow nose and elongated eyes centered with a turquoise-inlaid urna, the figure carries a benevolent expression. The figure’s ornaments, elaborately cast ear pendants, a large, five-petal tiara, pointed arm bands and a simple necklace are also hallmarks of Central and Western Tibetan bronzes. Other stylistic qualities, however, can be likened to fourteenth-century Buddhist bronzes from the Chinese Yuan dynasty (1279-1368). This is most evident in the treatment of Shadakshari’s robes and body proportions, including the mantle-like shawl draped over the shoulders and tight horizontal cinching at the figure’s waist.
The Yuan dynasty influence here is best demonstrated when comparing the present figure to a bronze figure of Cintamanichakra, which includes similar qualities in the draping of the skirt, illustrated by R. Bigler in Art and Faith at the Crossroads: Tibeto-Chinese Buddhist Images and Ritual Implements from the 12th-15th Century, Zurich, 2013, p. 50, fig. 17. It is likely that the present figure of Shadakshari Lokeshvara would have originally sat on a base similar to the example illustrated by Bigler. The characteristics in the drapery can also be noticed in gilt-bronzes from the Xi Xia Empire, which had lasting influence on the Yuan dynasty. See, for example, a gilt-bronze figure of Shadakshari Lokeshvara from the twelfth-thirteenth century Xi Xia Empire, published by Yury Khokhlov in “The Xi Xia Legacy in Sino-Tibetan Art of the Yuan Dynasty,” asianart.com, 2016, figure 34.
The present work can also be compared to a fourteenth-fifteenth century bronze figure of Sarvavid Vairochana illustrated by U. von Schroeder in Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, vol. II, Hong Kong, 2001, p. 1205, no. 329B-C, which appears to be similarly draped and influenced by Yuan dynasty prototypes. The strong Tibetan physiognomy and ungilded, warm tones of the alloy and patina of the present bronze can also be compared to a fifteenth-century Tsangri figure of Vajradhara from the Claude de Marteau Collection (see Himalayan Art Resources, item no. 4840). While the Yuan-influenced treatment of the body, and the great size of the figure differentiates this piece from these Central Tibetan examples, the presence of scriptural scrolls within the consecration chamber further places the present figure within a Tibetan Buddhist context.