STATUETTE OF A VAJRAPANI MAHACHAKRA ATTENDANT... Lot 25

STATUETTE OF A VAJRAPANI MAHACHAKRA ATTENDANT DEITY IN GILDED COPPER ALLOY TIBET, XVE/XVIE CENTURY Himalayan Art Resources item no. 4806 21.6 cm (8 1/2 in.) high Footnotes: A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF A MAHACHAKRA VAJRAPANI RETINUE FIGURE TIBET, 15TH/16TH CENTURY 西藏 十五/十六世紀 銅鎏金大輪金剛手伴神像 Provenance: With Claude de Marteau, Brussels, by 1970s This intriguing gilt bronze is one that is rarely encountered in Tibetan sculpture. Wrathful in appearance with one face and four arms, he supports his female consort in a passionate embrace while simultaneously displaying the gesture of demon subjugation with his principal pair of hands. This particular mudra, together with the vajra and staff that he holds in his secondary hands, identifies him as one of four guardian deities who protects Mahachakra Vajrapani's sacred mandala abode, and was likely once part of a sculptural set. For reference, see two thangkas of Mahachakra which illustrate these attendant deities, one sold at Christie's, New York, 21 September 2005, lot 124 (HAR 21949), and another in the Margot and Tom Pritzker Collection (HAR 58322). Mahachakra Vajrapani is a meditational deity (yidam) who can serve as the focus of one's tantric practice, bestowing both power and spiritual attainment. As indicated by the coiling snakes adorning the retinue figure's body, snakes are key to Mahachakra Vajrapani's wrathful symbolism, conveying his role of subduing harmful forces and converting 'poisonous' emotions into virtue (cf. van Alphen, in Bonhams, Hong Kong, 29 November 2016, lot 108). Likewise, the present retinue figure tramples two sprawling demons underfoot, signifying his own ability to remove all obstacles, either physical or mental, that could potentially impede a practitioner's path towards enlightenment. The present lot bears the stylistic hallmarks of Sonam Gyaltsen, who was a master craftsman active in Shigatse in the 15th century. Characteristics of his workshop style include the finely incised details decorating the couple's clothing, the jeweled swags adorning their waists, and the pointed, five-lobed leaves comprising the crowns and armbands. These features are shared by two images of Mahachakra Vajrapani, one from the Philip Goldman Collection (HAR 12079) and another sold at Christie's, Paris, December 16, 2022, lot 173 (HAR 24853). However, the wide, bulbous modelling of the lotus petals do not reflect the hand of Sonam Gyaltsen himself, suggesting that the present work was made in a closely related atelier. A gilt bronze figure of Songtsen Gampo in the Capital Museum, Beijing, who sits atop a similar type of lotus base, possibly hints that the two originate from the same workshop (The Goddess of Mercy in Buddhism, 2008, pp. 230-1, no. 24; HAR 59803). For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com