Tibet, Prajnaparamita (8)

11th-12th century, Tibet, Prajnaparamita, brass, 22,5 cm, photo: courtesy of Ulrich von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet Volume Two, Visual Dharma Publications, Hong Kong, p. 1140 pl. 297B, gTsug Lhakhang Collection, inventory nº 573, Lhasa (Tibet).

Early Tibetan brass works often depict Prajnaparamita in her four-arm form and standing. The above raises her upper right hand in the fear-allaying gesture. She has a vajra sceptre in her lower right hand and a manuscript in the upper left one. The lower left hand is held flat as if to support a bowl. A large lotus flower is fastened to her hip and elbow. On each side of her unusual lotus pedestal are three buddhas seated with their hands in the gesture of meditation. The rectangular platform is supported by two lions.

12th-13th century, Tibet, Prajnaparamita, brass, 17,9 cm, photo as before, p. 1144 pl. 299A, Potala Collection, Sa gsum lha khang inventory nº 453, Lhasa (Tibet).

On this rare seated version she holds the vajra sceptre upright, has a vase of longevity on her head, and a rosary in her upper right hand.

Tibet, Prajnaparamita (7)

13th century, Tibet, Prajnaparamita, wood (with cold gold and red paint), private collection, hoto on HAR

Prajnaparamita, the ‘goddess of transcendent wisdom’, mother of all buddhas, is depicted in her four-arm form, her main hands making the ‘turning the wheel of dharma‘ gesture, the upper ones holding a rosary and a book, a combination popular in Nepal and Western Tibet.

15th century, Tibet, Prajnaparamita (labelled ‘buddha statue), painted clay on a wooden armature, photo Bgabel on wikimedia , at the Kumbum, Palkhor Chode monastery complex, Gyantse (Tibet).

The above makes the same gesture with her main hands but she holds a vajra sceptre and a book in her upper hands.

15th-16th century, Tibet, Prajnaparamita, gilt copper alloy, 20 cm, The Claude de Marteau Collection Part IV, lot 4, Bonhams (Hong Kong).

On paintings, Prajnaparamita may have a white or a yellow body. This statue corresponds to the yellow form: the upper right hand holds a vajra sceptre, the left one holds a book, the lower right hand either makes the gesture of debate/discussion (as is the case here) or the fear-allaying gesture, and the lower left one makes the gesture of meditation.

Tibet, Prajnaparamita (6)

Circa 8th century, Tibet, Zhang Zhung kingdom, Prajnaparamita, brass with cold gold and pigments, at the Lima Lakhang of the Potala, Lhasa, inventory nº 742, photo onUlrich von Schroeder.

An archaic two-hand form, her right hand (adorned with a ring) making the fear-allaying gesture, the other holding a manuscript.

11th or 12th century, Western Tibet, Prajnaparamita, bronze (brass), private collection, photo on Concept Art

One of a group of early brass sculptures from Western Tibet depicting the four-arm form of the goddess of transcendent wisdom, mother of all  buddhas, with her lower right hand in the gesture of supreme generosity, the left one cupped as if to hold a bowl, the upper hands clutching a (missing) rosary and a manuscript. On this occasion there is a broad sash across her breast instead of a sacred cord.

14th-15th century, Tibet, labelled ‘Cunda or Prajnaparamita’ , gilt copper, photo on Fondation Alain Bordier , at the Tibet Museum in Gruyères (Switzerland).

The effigy of Akshobhya on top of her chignon suggests that this four-arm deity is Prajnaparamita, although she would normally have a rosary or a vajra sceptre in one of her upper hands, or hold the stem of two lotuses, each topped with a manuscript. The lower left hand is in the gesture of meditation, the other appears to have once held a vajra sceptre pointing towards her heart.

Circa 16th century, Tibet, Prajnaparamita, gilt bronze with turquoise inlay, 21,8 cm, private collection, Indian&Southeast Asian A. lot 130, 25th March 2004, Christie’s.

Undated (circa 16th century?), Tibet, Prajnaparamita, gilt metal with turquoise inlay and cold gold, private collection, photo on HAR  .

Yellow Prajnaparamita holding a rosary and a manuscript in her upper hands, her right hand in the fear-allaying gesture.

14th-15th century, Tibet, goddess, gilt copper alloy, at the Tibet Museum in Lhasa, nº 101515 on Himalayan Art Resources. Update 16/12/21: circa 1386, Densatil, Prajnaparamita?, Fig. 179 in Jean-Luc Estournel ‘s catalogue raisonné.

Seated goddess Kongtsedemo, 600–800. Bhutan. Cast copper alloy with gold and traces of pigment. Lent by the National Museum of Bhutan, Paro, for the exhibition ‘The Dragon’s Gift: the sacred arts of Bhutan’. Photo by Shuzo Uemoto/Honolulu Academy of Arts. 17th century, Tibet, Choying Dorje or atelier, on Himalayan Art Resources.

Tibet, Prajnaparamita (5)

11th-12th century, Western Tibet, Prajnaparamita, brass, private collection, photo by Renaud Montméat on Asian Art

Popular in Western Tibet, the four-hand form of Prajnaparamita standing (rather than seated) typically has the lower left hand in the meditation gesture, the upper left holding a book, the lower right hand holding a vajra sceptre, the upper right doing a symbolic gesture which varies (here, she bestows patience). We will note the spectacular Western Tibetan multi-tier chignon and low tiara, stippled lotus print on her lower garment and her sash, stippled jewellery, incised geometrical decoration at the front of the base together with a typically Pala-style stance and gaze.

11th-12th century, Tibet, possibly Prajnaparamita, brass, taken at rKyang bu in the Tsang province, published in an article by Petra Müller on Asian Art.

A similar iconography, in a style related to the Guge kingdom, including a lower garment much shorter on one side and richly decorated with deeply carved roundels with a floral motif, an Indian-style belt with beaded festoons, a long foliate garland.

13th-14th century, Tibet, Prajnaparamita, copper alloy with silver, copper, stones, traces of paint, item at the 91.521 at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (USA).

A Pala-style Prajnaparamita in her one-head and two-arm form, flanked by a day and a (broken) night lotus, each normally topped with a manuscript, her hands making the ‘turning the wheel of dharma‘ gesture.

Circa 16th century, Tibet, Prajnaparamita, gilt bronze, private collection (Nepal on Global Nepali Museum ).

When the four-arm form makes the same gesture with her main hands, she holds a rosary in her upper right hand and a manuscript (sutra) in the other.

1350-1450 AD, Tibet, unidentified Buddhist goddess,(Prajnaparamita?) gilt copper, 31,2 cm, at the gTsug Lakhang in Lhasa, inventory nº 411. Update 16/12/21: circa 1267, Densatil, Prajnaparamita?, Fig. 32 in Jean-Luc Estournel ‘ s catalogue raisonné.

This female figure is seated on a double lotus atop a lion throne with a long-life vase at the front, her lower hands held in the meditation gesture. The lotuses next to her support a book and a conch shell. The shell is not normally associated with Prajnaparamita but we did see a similar sculpture with lotuses supporting a long-life vase (one of her main attributes) and a conch shell, identified as Prajnaparamita by Sotheby’s.

Circa 14th-15th century, Tibet (or Tibeto-Chinese?), Prajnaparamita, gilt copper alloy, private collection, photo on Cornette de Saint-Cyr.

She may also hold the vajra sceptre in her upper right hand instead of a rosary, in which case her main hands either hold a long-life vase or display two different gestures as above: the right hand does the teaching gesture, the other one does the meditation gesture.

16th century, Tibet, Prajnaparamita, gilt copper with turquoise inlay, made by a Nepalese artist, private collection, photo on Koller.

Flanked by lotuses, the flower on her right supports the vajra sceptre and she has a rosary in her right hand.

11th-12th century, Tibet, possibly Prajnaparamita, at rKyang bu in the Tsang province, metal, photo by Fosco Maraini, published in an article by Petra Müller

Tibet, Prajnaparamita (4)

13th century, Tibet, Prajnaparamita, polychrome wood, wall fragment, private collection, photo on Castor-Hara.

An unusual depiction of Prajnaparamita in her four-hand form, seated in the royal ease position, her main hands clasped before her heart, the lower right hand held palm out to express supreme generosity, the upper left hand holding the stem of a blue lotus that supports a manuscript.

15th century, Tibet, Prajnaparamita, gilt bronze (copper alloy), private collection, photo by 25 Blythe Road.

In Tibet, the main hands may be in the meditation gesture to support a long-life vase (missing here), the top right hand holding a vajra sceptre, the other a book.

Undated, Tibet (or China?), Prajnaparamita, gilt bronze with turquoise inlay, private collection, photo on Sotheby’s, Paris.

The attributes are often placed on a lotus next to her, in which case the main hands ‘turn the wheel of dharma‘. Here the book has been replaced with a conch shell and she sits on a lion throne with a yaksha at the centre.

On the front panel of her crown we can see Kirtimukha, holding vegetation that comes out of his mouth. A half-vajra finial adorns her chignon.

18th century, Tibet, Prajnaparamita, gilt bronze with turquoise inlay, private collection, photo on Sotheby’s, Hong Kong

The above is seated on a lotus base with elements associated with Mongolia (the semi-circular row of stamens at the top) and  Bhutan (the overlapping three-lobe petals).

Tibet, Prajnaparamita (3)

12th century, Western Tibet, Prajnaparamita (labelled ‘female deity’), brass, private collection, photo on Christie’s.

Both a bodhisattva and the mother of all buddhas, Prajnaparamita has one head and two or four hands. Her main attribute is a manuscript. She may be seated or standing. This sculpture belongs to a group of West Tibetan brass works derived from the Indian Pala style but with features specific to Western Tibet, especially the Ngari district.

In her four-hand version she may hold the manuscript in her top left hand and a vajra sceptre in one of her right hands while the remaining ones display the gesture of debate/teaching and the gesture of meditation.

Her accessories are decorated with incisions and her lower garment with a stippled lotus pattern.

14th-15th century, Tibet, gilt copper, Tara or Prajnaparamita, private collection, photo on Koller.

Another of her attributes is the blue lotus (top left hand) but she normally holds two, both topped with a manuscript. She may also hold a vajra sceptre (lower left hand) and display the teaching gesture (lower left hand), in which case one hand would display the meditation gesture, hence the uncertainty about the identity of this figure.

15th century, Tibet, Prajnaparamita, gilt bronze, private collection, on loan at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (USA). Update 16/12/21: circa 1370, Densatil, Fig. 118 in  Jean-Luc Estournel ‘s catalogue raisonné.

When two of the hands ‘turn the wheel of dharma‘ the other two usually hold the stem of blue lotuses each topped with a manuscript. When the lower hands are cupped in the meditation gesture to hold a vase, the upper ones hold a vajra sceptre and the manuscript. Here we have a mixture of hand positions and the long-life vase is at the centre of the lion throne that supports the double-lotus base. There is a vajra finial on her head.

Tibet, Prajnaparamita (2)

Circa 14th century, Tibet, Prajnaparamita, gilt copper, 21,5 cm, at the gTsug Lakhang in Lhasa, inventory nº 96, photo and details on Ulrich von Schroeder

This Nepalese-style sculpture shows Prajnaparamita seated, holding a vajra sceptre in her top right hand and a manuscript in the other, her lower hands joined in the gesture of meditation with the thumbs touching. Her face is painted with cold gold and pigments, her hair dyed with lapis lazuli powder. She wears foliate jewellery inlaid with turquoise and other hard stones.

16th century, Tibet, Prajnaparamita, gilt metal and stone inlay, private collection, nº 32345 on Himalayan Art Resources.

A variant, with the main right hand displaying a different gesture (to bestow patience).

Circa 15th century, Tibet, Prajnaparamita, gilt copper alloy, private collection, photo on Sotheby’s

On this two-hand form she holds the stems of lotuses, one supporting a manuscript, her hands displaying the gesture for ‘turning the wheel of the Law’.

Tibet, Prajnaparamita

9th-10th century, Tibet, Prajnaparamita, copper alloy, private collection, photo on Cornette de Saint Cyr

Prajnaparamita, mother of all buddhas, may have one head and two or four hands, she can be standing or seated. The above has Nepalese-style facial features, hair ornament and lotus base. She holds a rosary and a pot of water (an unusual attribute for this deity) in her upper hands. Her lower right hand displays the gesture of supreme generosity, the other once held the (broken) stem of a lotus that supports a manuscript (the Prajnaparamita sutra).

11th century, Western Tibet, labelled ‘Manjushri’, brass, at the Walters Art Museum (US).

This is a good example of how tricky it can be to identify a deity. There is a one head and four-armed form of Manjushri but he would hold a bow and an arrow as well as a book and a blue lotus.

On the Himalayan Art Resources website this figure (nº 73863) is labelled ‘Prajnaparamita’, and indeed the four-arm form of this deity would have a rosary (missing here) in her top right hand and manuscript in the other. The lower left hand is held flat, as if to hold a bowl, the other holds an object which is meant to be a vajra sceptre although it looks different.

14th century, Tibet, Prajnaparamita, copper alloy, private collection, nº 30711 on HAR.

When seated she is usually framed by lotuses, one of them supporting the manuscript.

Kashmir or Western Tibet, Prajnaparamita

10th-11th century, Kashmir or Western Tibet, Prajnaparamita, copper alloy with silver inlay, photo on Christie’sUpdate 24/04(22: this sculpture is labelled both ‘Kashmir’ and ‘Guge Kingdom’ on HAR.

Mother of all buddhas, Prajnaparamita has one face and four arms. Her main hands are making the vitarka and dhyana mudras, the upper right hand holds a manuscript or sutra and the upper left hand holds a thunderbolt or vajra. She sits on a Kashmir-style plinth, with her legs in the vajra position, commonly but erroneously (mea culpa) described as the lotus position (see on the enlightening Himalayan Art Resources website under “Glossary” the article “Caution words and sensitive subjects”).

Her broad harmonious facial features and her pointed crown with bows and rosettes are reminiscent of Western Tibetan works. Her eyes are inlaid with silver and her thin eyebrows meet in the centre, in the Kashmiri fashion. She is adorned with lotus earrings, a necklace with a large pendant, armbands, bracelets, a sacred cord. She wears an ankle-length dhoti deeply engraved in the Guge fashion and a broad sash across her chest, above her Kashmiri-style lobed abdomen with a cruciform navel.

This could well be the work of a Kashmiri artist in Western Tibet (or for worship in Western Tibet).