NEPAL, EARLY MALLA PERIOD, 13TH-14TH CENTURY

A commanding embodiment of abundance and wisdom, this 14th-century bronze Vasudhara is a masterpiece of Newari artistry and spiritual symbolism. Her name, meaning “Bearer of Treasure,” reflects her role as the Buddhist goddess of wealth, prosperity, and fertility, revered above all by the Newars of the Kathmandu Valley. Although she is often associated as the consort of the wealth deity Jambhala, Vasudhara’s worship in Nepal predates his, and her significance runs deeper: she represents not only material wealth but the abundance of transcendental wisdom. She stands as the Buddhist counterpart to both Lakshmi and Sarasvati, Hindu goddesses of prosperity and intellect.

This substantial, heavily cast bronze is a striking example of Newari aesthetics, with soft, rounded forms that convey divine contentment and vitality. Her six arms radiate from her body with effortless grace, a form largely unique to Nepal. Adorned with an elaborate crown, lavish jewellery, and a boldly patterned dhoti, Vasudhara radiates the ideals of beauty, abundance, and spiritual grace. Her hand gestures (mudras) signal generosity and reassurance, while the objects she holds—treasure vases, grain, jewels, and sutras—embody the full spectrum of prosperity.

The sculpture’s stylistic details, its physiognomy, patterned garments, and gilded bronze alloy, compare favourably with another in von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures of the Alain Bordier Foundation, Hong Kong, 2010, pp. 26-7, no. 10B. Also compare the features an Early Malla Prajnaparamita, in van Alphen, Cast for Eternity, 2005, p. 119, no. 33, and to another Vasudhara figure sold in Sotheby's, New York, 26 March 1998, lot 217.

These examples share the common traits are found cross both Buddhist and Hindu traditions, and asserts a uniquely local vision of divine abundance.