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Lot Essay
This finely cast and gilded bronze sculpture depicts Guhyasamaja-Akshobhyavajra and his consort Sparshavajri, the male and female aspects of the central meditational deity Guhyasamaja. Seated in Yab-Yum (mother-father) union on a double lotus pedestal, the two beings merge to symbolize the non-dual integration of compassionate skillful means (upaya) and transcendent wisdom (prajna). Each deity features three heads and six arms, holding identical attributes—the vajra, ghanta, dharmachakra, khadga, padma, and ratna. Both are adorned with turquoise-inset jewelry, their faces painted with gold and polychrome, and their hair colored blue in the Tibetan manner.
The Indian Guhyasamaja Tantra is believed to have originated in the third or fourth century, becoming one of the first Sanskrit tantras translated into Tibetan. The teaching was transmitted to Tibet from the eleventh century onward through adepts such as the Indian scholar Atisha (982–1054). Marpa (1012–1096) traveled to India multiple times, translating Sanskrit texts and passing commentaries on the Guhyasamaja Tantra through the Kagyu order. Later, the most influential Tibetan practitioner of the tantra was Tsongkhapa (1357–1419), founder of the Gelug order, who clarified unresolved issues in the various translated Tibetan versions. Tsongkhapa regarded the Guhyasamaja Tantra as the king of all tantras, stating that "Understanding the sublime path of Guhyasamaja bestows fearless, confident understanding of all the teachings of the Buddha" (C. Cummings, "Guhyasamaja Tantra", in J. Huntington & D. Bangel, Circle of Bliss, 2003, p. 432). Within the Unsurpassed Yoga Tantras (Anuttarayoga), this practice is used to actively transform negative states like desire and anger into Buddhahood.
Stylistically, this sculpture belongs to a distinct group of Tibetan art that developed during the fifteenth-century Ganden Renaissance. This period was marked by an increase in religious and artistic activity, supported by cooperation and competition among Tibetan Buddhist schools, alongside patronage from Tibetan kings and Chinese emperors. The statue features intricate, slender modeling that departs from the heavier, more robust bronze works of the fourteenth century. It is heavily gilded and inset exclusively with turquoise, a combination characteristic of this specific stylistic phase.
The design can be confidently associated with the workshop style of the artist Sonam Gyaltsen, who was active in the first half of the fifteenth century. The figures share a specific facial type and a crown design resting above a fringe of rounded curls. Specific workshop markers include jewelry featuring three lotus petals bearing a small turquoise setting framed by a pointed five-lobed leaf, or a turquoise setting flowering from a lotus-bud pendant. Miniature chased lines detail this floral imagery, matching patterns engraved on the lower garments and the bottom edge of the pedestal base. Symmetrically curling, plump inner corollas resting on top of swelled outer lotus petals further link this figure to the known corpus of early fifteenth century Shigatse-region bronze commissions.
The Indian Guhyasamaja Tantra is believed to have originated in the third or fourth century, becoming one of the first Sanskrit tantras translated into Tibetan. The teaching was transmitted to Tibet from the eleventh century onward through adepts such as the Indian scholar Atisha (982–1054). Marpa (1012–1096) traveled to India multiple times, translating Sanskrit texts and passing commentaries on the Guhyasamaja Tantra through the Kagyu order. Later, the most influential Tibetan practitioner of the tantra was Tsongkhapa (1357–1419), founder of the Gelug order, who clarified unresolved issues in the various translated Tibetan versions. Tsongkhapa regarded the Guhyasamaja Tantra as the king of all tantras, stating that "Understanding the sublime path of Guhyasamaja bestows fearless, confident understanding of all the teachings of the Buddha" (C. Cummings, "Guhyasamaja Tantra", in J. Huntington & D. Bangel, Circle of Bliss, 2003, p. 432). Within the Unsurpassed Yoga Tantras (Anuttarayoga), this practice is used to actively transform negative states like desire and anger into Buddhahood.
Stylistically, this sculpture belongs to a distinct group of Tibetan art that developed during the fifteenth-century Ganden Renaissance. This period was marked by an increase in religious and artistic activity, supported by cooperation and competition among Tibetan Buddhist schools, alongside patronage from Tibetan kings and Chinese emperors. The statue features intricate, slender modeling that departs from the heavier, more robust bronze works of the fourteenth century. It is heavily gilded and inset exclusively with turquoise, a combination characteristic of this specific stylistic phase.
The design can be confidently associated with the workshop style of the artist Sonam Gyaltsen, who was active in the first half of the fifteenth century. The figures share a specific facial type and a crown design resting above a fringe of rounded curls. Specific workshop markers include jewelry featuring three lotus petals bearing a small turquoise setting framed by a pointed five-lobed leaf, or a turquoise setting flowering from a lotus-bud pendant. Miniature chased lines detail this floral imagery, matching patterns engraved on the lower garments and the bottom edge of the pedestal base. Symmetrically curling, plump inner corollas resting on top of swelled outer lotus petals further link this figure to the known corpus of early fifteenth century Shigatse-region bronze commissions.