STATUETTE DE BOUDDHA DE MÉDECINE EN ALLIAGE DE... Lot n° 18

STATUETTE DE BOUDDHA DE MÉDECINE EN ALLIAGE DE CUIVRE DORÉ TIBET, XVE SIÈCLE Himalayan Art Resources item no. 4617 17 cm (6 3/4 in.) high Footnotes: A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF MEDICINE BUDDHA TIBET, 15TH CENTURY 西藏 十五世紀 銅鎏金藥師佛像 Provenance: With Claude de Marteau, Brussels, by 1970s The cult of the Medicine Buddha started in Northern India before spreading to the Himalayas, East Asia, and Southeast Asia. He is widely worshiped in both Vajrayana and Mahayana Buddhism to assist practitioners in overcoming physical, mental, and spiritual sickness, and to purify karmic debt. According to the Bhaisajyaguru sutra, he resides in the Eastern Pure Land of Vaiduryanirbhasa, which in Sanskrit literally means 'Pure Lapis Lazuli', drawing a parallel to his blue body that shines brighter than the sun. The Medicine Buddha, here, wears an elegant sanghati with a beaded hem which cascades over the left shoulder, displaying punch marks along the edge indicating the interior patterning of the hemline. This alternating use of beading and punching is also seen in the treatment of the robes of Gampopa from the Portraits of the Masters sale at Bonhams, New York, 14 March 2017, lot 3225. The widened lotus leaves along the front which have been flattened and articulated with hatch marks at the back are stylistic elements linked to the workshop of Sonam Gyaltsen from the Tsang province of Shigatse in Central Tibet during the 15th century and can be closely compared to a Buddha image in the Rubin Museum of Art (HAR 700092). For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com Very good condition overall, with minor dents, scratches, and loss of gilding intermittently throughout, as is visible in images. There is a spot of smoky black residue at the back of the lotus base from exposure to temple lamps within the culture. Remains of cold gold in the face and blue pigment in the hair. The piece survives with its original base plate. Please contact Sidney Lee (sidney.lee@bonhams.com) for related condition report images.