Tibet, Shakyamuni – seated (37)

Circa 12th century, Tibet, Shakyamuni, brass, 35,5 cm, photo: courtesy of Ulrich von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet Volume Two, Visual Dharma Publications, Hong Kong, p. 1148 pl. 301A, at the Shalu monastery (Tibet).

13th century, Tibet, Buddha Shakyamuni, gilt copper, 24,5 cm, photo as before, p. 1028 pl. 254B , at the Palkhor Chode monastic complex in Gyantse (Tibet).

11th-12th century, Tibet, Shakyamuni, copper alloy with a copper hem and gilding added later, 11,8 cm, private collection, Asian Art Auction A177AS lot 105, 6th June 2016, Koller.

Undated (15th century?), Tibet, Shakyamuni, (painted clay?), from a photo by Dudul Dorjay, 2011, on virginia.edu, main image in the arhat shrine, Palkhor Chode monastic complex in Gyantse (Tibet).

Undated (15th century?), Tibet, Shakyamuni, (painted clay?), photo by Dudul Dorjay, 2011, on virginia.edu, main image in the arhat shrine, Palkhor Chode monastic complex in Gyantse (Tibet).

Labelled ’17th-18th century, Tibeto-Chinese’ (or earlier, Tibet?), Shakyamuni, gilt bronze with copper and turquoise inlay, 9,4 cm, at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne (Australia).

Tibet, The Crowned Buddha (15)

13th-14th century, Tibet, Crowned Buddha Shakyamuni, brass, 11,6 cm, photo: courtesy of Ulrich von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet Volume Two, Visual Dharma Publications, Hong Kong, p. 1156 pl. 305A, at the gTsug lha khang in the sMin grol gling (Mindroling) monastery (Tibet).

Unlike the five direction buddhas in their sambhogakaya form, the crowned Buddha always wears a monastic garment, and Tibetan portable sculptures of him rarely include any jewellery.

Circa 14th century, Tibet, Crowned Buddha Shakyamuni, brass, 26,4 cm, photo as before, p. 1155 pl. 354C , at the Palkhor Chode monastic complex in Gyantse (Tibet).

15th century, Tibet, The Crowned Buddha, gilt bronze, 10,7 cm, private collection, Auction 814 China I, lot 138, 12th June 2023,  Nagel

16th-17th century, East(ern) Tibet, Crowned Buddha Calling the Earth to Witness, 27,3 cm, inventory nº AS42-1979 at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne (Australia).

Tibet, Vajrasattva (27)

13th century, Tibet, Vajrasattva, brass with cold gold, pigment, turquoise, 20,8 cm, photo: courtesy of Ulrich von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet Volume Two, Visual Dharma Publications, Hong Kong, p. 1095 pl. 282B , Potala Collection, inventory nº 1077 at the Sa gsum lha khang, Lhasa (Tibet)

A surprising sculpture of Vajrasattva with both hands in the gesture of meditation to support an upright vajra sceptre. His hands are not normally in this position when he is depicted without his consort. As explained by the author, the effigies on his head are those of the five direction buddhas (tathagatas). Other unusual features are the three ornate loops formed by the ribbon of his crown on each side of his head and the turquoise pendant on his shorter necklace.

1150-1250 AD, Tibet, Vajrasattva, brass, 19,5 cm, photo as before, p. 1097 pl. 283B, Potala Collection, Bla ma lha khang inventory nº 1630, Lhasa (Tibet).

Vajrasattva with an upright vajra sceptre in the palm of his right hand and an upturned vajra bell in his left hand, close to his hip. On this and the next sculpture his legs are not locked.

1150-1250 AD, Tibet, Vajrasattva, brass, 19,5 cm, photo as before, p. 1097 pl. 283C, Potala Collection, Bla ma lha khang inventory nº 1611, Lhasa (Tibet).

16th century, Tibet?, Vajrasattva, bronze, 19 cm, photo in the Northern Himalayan Section on wisdomlib, at the National Museum of Nepal in Kathmandu.

17th century, Tibet?, Vajrasattva, bronze, 14,5 cm, photo on wisdomlib, at the National Museum of Nepal in Kathmandu.

When seated with a leg pendent, his function is that of a bodhisattva.

Tibet, Ratnasambhava (12)

1150-1250 AD, Tibet, Buddha Ratnasambhava, brass, 51,5 cm, photo: courtesy of Ulrich von Schroeder, (Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet Volume Two, Visual Dharma Publications, p. 1163 pl. 308B, at the rNam rgyal lha khang of the sNye thang (Nyethang) monastery, (Tibet).

Continuing with the set of tathagatas from the Nyethang monastery, Ratnasambhava is identified by the gesture of his right hand, which is extended palm out to display a small gem.

15th-16th century, Tibet, Ratnasambhava, gilt copper, 24,9 cm, photo as before, p. 1065 pl. 272D, Potala Collection, Bla ma lha khang inventory nº 995 , Lhasa (Tibet).

Ratnasambhava in his sambhogakaya aspect, holding a large triple gem (triratna) placed on a lotus flower.

17th century, Tibet(?), Ratnasambhava, bronze, 22 cm, photo on wisdomlib, Northern Himalayan Section, at the National Museum of Nepal in Kathmandu.

Tibet, Amoghasiddhi (10)

1150-1250 AD, Tibet, Buddha Amoghasiddhi, brass, 54 cm, photo: courtesy of Ulrich von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet Volume Two, Visual Dharma Publications, p. 1163 pl. 308C, at the rNam rgyal lha khang of the sNye thang (Nyethang) monastery, (Tibet).

Amoghasiddhi in his buddha appearance, raising his right hand to dispel fear.

1300-1399 AD, Tibet, Amoghasiddhi, metal (brass with cold gold, turquoise inlay, pigments), private collection, photo on Himalayan Art Resources

Depicted in his princely/bodhisattva appearance (sambhogaya form) and making the same gesture.

Tibet, Vairocana (20)

1150-1250 AD, Tibet, Buddha Vairocana, brass, 46 cm, photo: courtesy of Ulrich von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet Volume Two, Visual Dharma Publications, p. 1162 pl. 308A, at the rNam rgyal lha khang of the sNye thang (Nyethang) monastery, (Tibet).

While the other four direction buddhas always have their hands in the same position, there are various possibilities for Vairocana. This work depicts him with a buddha appearance and making the gesture of enlightenment (bodhyagri mudra) specific to him.

15th century, Tibet, Vairocana, bronze with stone inlay, 27,5 cm, private collection, Auction 19 lot 308, Hardt

In his one-head and two-arm form his hands may also display the ‘turning the wheel of dharma‘ gesture. The above, depicted in his sambhogayaka form (bodhisattva appearance) is seated on a lotus base with an unusually tall plinth, more often seen on much later works, and adorned with a singular celestial scarf, which appears to have one end flowing up and another dropping to his knees.

14th-15th century, Tibet, Vairocanabhisambhodi, brass, 47,4 cm, photo as before, p. 1158 pl. 306A, Potala Collection, Lima Lhakhang inventory nº 1026, Lhasa (Tibet).

Rarely seen in sculpture, there is a form of Vairocana with the same iconography as Amitayus, i.e. with both hands in the gesture of meditation, but without the vase of longevity. We saw one on HAR and another from the Gyantse kumbum on Huntington Archive.

Circa 14th century, Tibet, Sarvavid Vairocana, brass, 32 cm, photo: courtesy of Ulrich von Schroeder as above, p. 1155 pl. 304D, at the Ngor E wam Monastery (Tibet).

Vairocana with four heads and two arms, his hands cupped in the gesture of meditation to support an eight-spoke wheel or an upright vajra sceptre, a form also known as Sarvavid Mahavairocana.

Tibet, Amitabha (10)

1150-1250 AD, Tibet, Buddha Amitabha, brass, 49,5 cm, photo: courtesy of Ulrich von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet Volume Two, Visual Dharma Publications, p. 1163 pl. 308D, at the rNam rgyal lha khang of the sNye thang (Nyethang) monastery, (Tibet).

This buddha is identified as Amitabha (and not Shakyamuni) because he belongs to the set of tathagatas mentioned in the previous post.

15th century, Tibet, Amitabha, bronze, 13,4 cm, private collection, Auction 819 lot 24, Nagel

Amitabha usually sits with his hands in the gesture of meditation to support an alms bowl. The above wears monastic clothes  with beaded hems and a copper-inlaid border with an incised grain motif.

15th-16th century, Tibet, Amitabha, gilt bronze, 43,2 cm, private collection, Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Works of Art lot 522, 20th March 2024, Christie’s

A different style with a richly incised silk robe that covers both shoulders and an undergarment tied below the breast, its border decorated with a rice grain pattern. The urna on the buddha’s forehead and the folds of fabric over his left shoulder were once inlaid with stones.

Tibet, Akshobhya (11)

1150-1250 AD, Tibet, Buddha Akshobhya, brass, 49,5 cm, photo: courtesy of Ulrich von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet Volume Two, Visual Dharma Publications, p. 1163 pl. 308E, at the rNam rgyal lha khang of the sNye thang (Nyethang) monastery, (Tibet).

Although the upright vajra sceptre is missing from his left hand, this buddha is identified as Akshobhya since he belongs to a group of thatagatas (featured on pp. 1162 and 1163 of the above-mentioned publication) and the hand position corresponds to Akshobhya.

Circa 14th century, Tibet, Akshobhya, brass with turquoise and copper inlay (labelled ‘gilt bronze), 30 cm, private collection, photo on Ethereal

In his sambhogakaya aspect he has a princely/bodhisattva appearance. The short celestial scarf that flows above this buddha’s shoulders and drops behind his elbows is a feature often seen on 13th and 14th century Tibetan brass works deriving from the Indian Pala style.

13th-14th century, Tibet, Buddha (Akshobhya), bronze with silver-inlaid eyes, traces of cold gilding, 28 cm, private collection, Indian, Islamic, Southeast Asian and Himalayan Works of Art lot 537, 8th November 2023,  photo on Olympia Auctions

Alternatively, the figure is sometimes framed by lotuses that flower above his shoulders and reach the ribbons of his crown.

Tibet, Shakyamuni – standing (5)

11th-12th century, Tibet, Standing Shakyamuni, gilt copper, 64 cm, photo: courtesy of Ulrich von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet Volume Two, Visual Dharma Publications, Hong Kong, p. 1015 pl. 247B, Potala Collection, Lima Lhakhang inventory nº 1313, Lhasa (Tibet).

His right hand, held in the gesture of supreme generosity, displays an incised diamond shape. The left hand holds a piece of his garment.

12th century, Western Tibet? (labelled ‘Ladakh or Kashmir or Tibet), Shakyamuni, bronze with silver-inlaid eyes (and traces of cold gold on face), 25,5 cm, private collection, Auction 19 lot 91, Hardt

The wide-open eyes with a large pupil at the centre depart from Kashmiri standards (compare with a brass Maitreya, Western Tibet, from the Nagaraja collection, on HAR ).

Tibet, Shakyamuni – variants (11)

14th century, Tibet, Buddha Shakyamuni, gilt bronze, 11,2 cm, private collection, auction 819 China I, lot 2, Nagel

The right hand makes the gesture of supreme generosity, the left one makes the gesture of meditation, a posture that could also represent Svaraghosaraja and Abhijnaraja, two of the medicine buddhas, or Candanashri one of the 35 confession buddhas.

14th-15th century, Tibet, Buddha, bronze with copper inlay, cold gold, pigment, 25 cm, private collection, Auction A207AS lot 103, 28th November 2023, Koller.

This buddha makes the fear-allaying gesture with his right hand, which could also depict Suparikirtita Namashri, another of the medicine buddhas.

14th-15th century, Tibet, Buddha Shakyamuni (labelled ‘Amitabha’ on Bonhams ), gilt copper alloy, 24,8 cm, The Claude de Marteau Collection Part IV, lot 6, 6th October 2023, Bonhams