Pala India, Shakyamuni – seated (2)

9th century, Northeastern India, Bihar, Bodh Gaya, fragment of a votive caitya, phyllite, 27,5 cm, private collection, Auction 1072 lot 291, 10th June 2016, Lempertz

10th century, India, Shakyamuni, metal (brass with silver eyes and copper lips), item nº 7578 on HAR

10th-11th century, Eastern India, probably Gaya district, Bihar, buddha, bronze, private collection, 24th May 2017 lot 47, Matthew Barton Ltd

Circa 11th century, India, Bihar, probably Kurkihar, Monkey gives honey to Buddha Shakyamuni, stone, photo on wikimedia, inventory nº OM-1989.0074 at the Östasiatiska Museet in Stockholm (Sweden).

Pala India, Khasarpana Lokeshvara (3)

10th century, Northern India, Avalokiteshvara, Khasarpana form, metal, no size given, on HAR, at the Nalanda Museum (India).

Particularly worshipped in India, this form of Avalokiteshvara usually sits with a leg pendent (the left one in this case) although he may be standing or seated in the vajra position.

11th century, Northern India, Avalokiteshvara, Khasarpana form, metal (dark copper alloy with silver inlay), no size given, private collection, on HAR

He has a mass of cascading hair locks forming a tall chignon (jatamukuta) and may be depicted with a crown and princely jewellery or without any adornment – and has no antelope skin over his left shoulder.

12th century, Northern India, Avalokiteshvara, Khasarpana form, metal (brass with silver and copper inlay, and clear gems), no size given, private collection, photo on Himalayan Art Resources

This one has a small effigy of Amitabha behind his low tiara. His sash and dhoti are inlaid with a rare copper and silver diamond pattern. Silver has also been used for his eyes, urna, necklaces and sacred cord.

10th-11th century, Northeastern India, Shrine to Khasarpana Lokeshvara, copper alloy with silver inlay, 19,7 cm, private collection, Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Art lot 762, 20th March 2024, Bonhams

His usual attendants are Tara, Manidhara, Bhrikuti, Hayagriva, and the hungry ghost Suchimukha, who is at the bottom right corner on this example, opposite the kneeling devotee. According to Sosi Mehren on the above link, the attendants seated next to Avalokiteshvara are Sudhanakumara (normally an attendant to Manjushri, seated with his hands joined before his heart and a book across his arms) and Bhairava.

Pala India, various bodhisattvas (12)

Circa 8th-9th century, Northeastern India, unidentified bodhisattva, copper alloy, 13 cm, private collection, Arts d’Asie lot 64, 12th June 2021, Cornette de Saint-Cyr on aaoarts

According to the catalogue information, this figure seated with a leg pendent holds a fruit or a gem in his right hand and a lotus topped with the head of a makara in the other, which is singular. We will note also the unusual nimbus with seven large blossoms, the backrest with a flower at each corner, the large lotus earrings and matching necklace, the ornate belt, and the garland that goes over both arms and across the lap.

11th-12th century, Northeastern India, Maitreya, copper alloy with silver and copper inlay, 11,4 cm, private collection, Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asia Art lot 766, 20th March 2024, photo and notes by Sosi Mehren on Bonhams

The future buddha, adorned with a miniature stupa on his head, sits with a leg pendent and his left hand placed over the edge of base to hold a branch, possibly of champaka, topped with an object which Ms Mehren identifies as a ritual water pot. Instead of making the fear-allaying gesture, his right hand is folded towards him.

11th-12th century, Northeastern India, Padmapani (Avalokiteshvara), Tara and Manjushri, stone with cold gold and pigment, 12 cm, private collection, Purity and Enlightenment lot 5, 3rd October 2023, Hollywood Galleries

12th century, Northeastern India, Padmapani (Avalokiteshvara), bronze, 11,5 cm, private collection, as before lot 9.

Agni

18th century, Tibet or China, Agni, gilt bronze, 16 cm, private collection, Asian Art lot 1156, 30th November 2023, Sotheby’s

In Buddhist art Agni, the Hindu God of Fire, is one of the retinue figures appearing in the Medicine Buddha mandala (comprising 51 deities, with Bhaisajyaguru and Prajnaparamita at the centre). He has the appearance of an old man with a beard, rides a goat, and holds a pot of fire. On paintings he also appears as one of the Eight Gods of the Cemetery and the Ten Gods of the Directions (see more on HAR)

11th century, India, Agni, Hindu and Buddhist lineage, metal with paint, private collection, photo on Himalayan Art Resources

This one is surrounded by flames and has four arms.

(See also two magnificent paintings:  on HAR and also on HAR)

17th century, China or Tibet, Agni, gilt bronze, 8 cm, private collection, photo on Hardt

In the Tibetan Buddhism section on wisdomlib we can read ‘Agni is described in the Nispannayogavali as follows: In the Agni corner there is Agni riding on a goat. He is red in colour and holds in his two hands the sruva (ladle) and the kamandalu (water bowl)’. This brings to mind the famous sculpture of Agni at the Metropolitan Museum of Art   , which depicts an old bearded man holding a water pot in his left hand.

8th-9th century, North(ern) India, Agni, Post-Gupta, pink sandstone, 25,2 cm, private collection, auction 1101 lot 9, 8th December 2017, Lempertz

This four-armed figure also holds a pot and a ladle. His lower right hand makes the fear-allaying gesture.

Pala India, Shakyamuni (12)

11th century, Northeastern India, Kurkihar, The Crowned Buddha, copper alloy with silver inlay, 43,2 cm, Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Art lot 764, photo and extensive notes by Sosi Mehren on Bonhams

From a series of standing Crowned Buddha portable sculptures made in the state of Bihar during the late Pala Period, this work still has the ‘tortoise’ pedestal (representing a yantra) that supports the lotus base; the one-piece flaming halo topped with a parasol is now missing. On all the examples we have seen so far Shakyamuni makes the fear-allaying gesture with his right hand and holds a piece of his garment in the other.

11th-12th century, Northeastern India, The Eight Great Events, stone, 10,3 cm, private collection, Indian and Himalayan Art lot 824, 21st March 2024, Sotheby’s

11th-12th century, Eastern India, Scenes from the Life of the Buddha, stone, private collection, Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Works of Art lot 754, 16th March 2016, Sotheby’s

We saw a similar stele from the Potala Collection in Lhasa (Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet Volume One by Ulrich von Schroeder, Visual Dharma Publications, Hong Kong, p. 401 pl. 129C) depicting the eight great events in the life of the Buddha: his birth, his first sermon, the taming of the elephant, the miracle at Sravasti, his descent from the Trayastrimsha heaven, the presentation of honey by the monkey, his death (always at the top) and the moment of his enlightenment (always at the centre of the stele). On these two examples his lotus throne is supported by two naga kings.

Pala Period, Northeastern India, found at Fatehpur, Shakyamuni, bronze, 27,8 cm, formerly in the Bodh Gaya Site Museum, sadly stolen in 1981, photo by the American Institute of Indian Studies, Gurgaon, in an article by Janice Leoshko (Fig. 8) on University of Michigan

9th century, India, Bodhgaya, the Buddha attended by Avalokiteshvara and Maitreya, (stone), photo by Janice Leoshko, 2007, in the above-mentioned article (Fig. 6), at the Patna Museum (India).

Avalokiteshvara, identified by the effigy of Amitabha on his head and the open lotus in his left hand, stands to the left of the Buddha. Maitreya, on the other side, has a stupa between his low tiara and his topknot and he holds a bunch of flowers, probably from a naga tree (mesua ferrea).

Circa 11th-12th century, India, Buddha, found at Antichak, Bihar, photo by Janice Leoshko as before (Fig. 7), 1987, at the Archaeological Survey of India Office in Patna (India).

Pala India, Vairocana (2)

12th century, Northeastern India, Vairochana, bronze with copper and silver inlay, 24,4 cm, photo posted by Stephen A. Murphy on resarchgate, at the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore.

The tathagata is seated on a lotus seat with an engraved backplate, surrounded by yakshas standing on makaras supporting boys riding viyalas, another two makaras on the cross bar, and a garuda head emerging from a cloudscape at the top (see the article by Gautama V. Vajracharya ‘Kirtimukha, the serpentine motif, and garuda: the story of a lion that turned into a big bird’ on jstor ). The legged plinth, whose design imitates a yantra, is decorated with two lions and a wheel at the front.

Pala India, various bodhisattvas (11)

Circa 12th century, Northeastern India, Maitreya, copper alloy, 12,3 cm, private collection, Images of Devotion lot 1854, 1st December 2023, Bonhams (Hong Kong).

The future buddha is identified by the stupa on the flower he holds in his left hand. The right hand is raised to dispel fear.

Pala period, Northeastern India, Avalokiteshvara, (copper alloy with silver-inlaid eyes), photo by Sunil Dongol, Dharmadeva Caitya, Chabahil (Kathmandu, Nepal).

Seated with a leg pendent, the bodhisattva of infinite compassion holds the stem of lotuses in his left hand and makes the boon-granting gesture with the other.

10th-11th century, Northeastern India, ‘bodhisattva, probably Avalokiteshvara’, stone, 37,4 cm, accession nº SC 1963.81 at the Smith College Museum of Art in Massachussetts (USA).

A princely figure making the fear-allaying gesture with his right hand and holding a rosary in the other. There seems to be a stupa between his chignon and his low tiara, that would identify him as Maitreya.

11th-12th century, Northeastern India, Mahakaruna Lokeshvara, gilt bronze, 12 cm, Art d’Asie lot 360, 7th June 2011, Christie’s (Paris).

This form of Avalokiteshvara normally has an effigy of Amitabha in his hair and his right hand over his knee. In this case the hand is resting on the meditation strap fastened around his raised knee.

Circa 12th century, Northeastern India, Shadakshari Lokeshvara tsatsa, polychrome terracotta, 8,8 cm, The Triay Collection of Himalayan Art lot 402, Bonhams (Paris).

Avalokiteshvara with four hands, the main ones joined before his heart to enclose a wish-granting gem, the other two holding a rosary (not visible here) and a lotus.

Pala India, Tara (8)

Circa 10th century, Northeastern India, Tara, stone, 45 cm, private collection, Asian Art A181AS lot 430, 14th June 2017, Koller

Green Tara seated with the left leg pendent, her right hand displaying the gesture of supreme generosity, her left hand placed on the lotus base and holding the stem of a blue water lily.

Circa 10th century, Northeastern India, Tara, stone, 8 cm, Asian Art A183AS lot 399, 4th December 2017, Koller

(Pala period, Northeastern India), Tara, metal, 15,4 cm, photo by Sunil Dongol, Dharmadeva Caitya, Chabahil (Kathmandu, Nepal).

This one holds a round object, such as a seed or a pill.

11th-12th century, Northeastern India, Tara, stone, 70 cm, Asian Art A152AS lot 338, 27th March 2010, Koller Update 19/2/24: a reader pointed out that this is in fact Avalokitesvhara …

9th-10th century, Northeastern India, Tara, stone, 47 cm, the face heavily restored, private collection, Asian Art A144AS lot 373, 15th March 2008 Koller

White Tara flanked by open flowers that support elephants overturning pots of gems over her head.

11th century, Northeastern India, Tara, copper alloy, 16,7 cm, private collection, Images of Devotion lot 1856, 1st December 2023, Bonhams (Hong Kong).

Pala India, Manjushri – seated (6)

Circa 11th century, Northeastern India, Manjushri, brass with silver and copper inlay, private collection, Images of Devotion lot 1853, 1st December 2023, Bonhams (Hong Kong).

Seated in the royal ease position, the bodhisattva of wisdom is flanked by blue water lilies – one of them supporting the Prajnaparamita sutra. His knee-length dhoti is decorated with a stippled floral pattern and a row of silver and copper roundels typical of the place and period. The sash tightly drawn across his chest, the stem of the flowers, and his armbands also have a stippled decoration.

11th-12th century, Northeastern India, Manjushri, stone, 46,4 cm, private collection, Arts of India lot 574, 27th September 2023, Christie’s

There are two forms of Manjushri seated on a snow lion, in the vajra position or with a leg pendent, and making the ‘turning the wheel of dharma‘ gesture. Simhanada Manjughosa may have a flower to his left but no book on it. He usually has an effigy of Akshobhya in his crown. Vadisimha holds the stem of a blue water lily wound around his left arm with the flower level with his shoulder and topped with the Prajnaparamita sutra.

Pala India, seated buddhas (4)

9th century, Northeastern India, Bihar, double-sided buddha stele, sandstone, 72 cm, private collection, Asian Art Auction A185AS lot 433, 7th June 2018, Koller

One side of the sculpture depicts Shakyamuni preaching inside a niche with Kirtimukha at the top.

The other side is too damaged to ascertain whether the hand gesture is the same but we can see that his double-lotus seat is supported by a lotus stem and scrolling leaves.

10th-11th century, Eastern India, Maravijaya Buddha, stone, 29,8 cm, private collection, Dharma and Tantra lot 177, 18th September 2023, Sotheby’s

Maravijaya refers to the historical buddha calling the goddess Earth to witness his victory over the demon Mara with his right hand while the other is cupped in the gesture of meditation. On this example, he is flanked by Avalokiteshvara holding an open lotus (to his right) and Maitreya holding a ritual flask by the neck (on the other side). The goddess emerges between two columns at the centre of the lion throne. We can see a seated buddha on one side of the nimbus, which is topped with leaves from the bodhi tree. There was probably another figure on the missing portion.

11th century, Northeastern India, Buddha Shakyamuni, bronze, 6,4 cm, private collection, Asian Art lot 1141, 30th November 2023, Sotheby’s

11th-12th century, India, The Crowned Buddha, black chlorite, 34 cm, Asian Art Auction A552AS lot 337, 27th March 2010, Koller

Flanked by stupas, Shakyamuni in his crowned buddha form is preaching under the bodhi tree. A wheel (dharmacakra) decorates the front of his throne. He wears a monastic garment that leaves the right arm bare. The armband on the other arm shows through the thin fabric.