Tibet, unidentified paired deities

15th century, Tibet, ‘standing wrathful deity yab-yum’, gilt copper alloy, 17,3 cm, private collection, Asian Art Auction A207AS lot 107, 28th November 2023, Koller

Unlike Heruka Yakta Ramari, who has red hair and stands on one victim atop a male buffalo, this wrathful male deity with a yaksha appearance has blue hair, topped with a flaming jewel, and stands on two victims atop two buffalos. There is part of a broken implement in his right hand and a skull cup in the other.

His consort holds a skull cup and a flaying knife. They both wear a tiger skin loin cloth, a five-skull crown, bone jewellery and belt; he is adorned with a garland of severed heads and large round earrings, she wears a garland of skulls and floral earrings.

16th century, Tibet, tantric deities in yab-yum, gilt bronze, 11,4 cm, private collection, Asian Art lot 1150, 30th November 2023, Sotheby’s

This one holds a vajra sceptre in his right hand and a skull cup in the other and has the hide of an elephant over his back. His consort has a skull cup in her left hand and possibly a flaying knife in the other, she wears a leopard skin dhoti. They stand on a single victim with a human appearance.

18th-19th century, Tibet, a five-headed deity, silver, 25,5 cm, private collection, Images of Transcendance lot 159, 23rd March 1999, Christie’s Update: this image is labelled ‘Nepal, Shiva and Parvati’ on Lost Arts of Nepal

A semi-wrathful deity with an unusual number of heads, and possibly six arms, in embrace with his consort who may have four heads and the same number of arms. He stands in a dancing pose with one foot on a lotus atop a pedestal with a bull, a lion, and two victims. As in most sculptures of this type, she has a leg around his waist. Among the various attributes with can see a human arm, a bow, flaming jewels, a bell, a trident, on one side, and on the other side a hand making the fear-allaying gesture and another holding a lotus.

Tibet, White Tara (17)

1250-1350 AD, Tibet, Sita Tara, The White Tara, brass with silver and gold inlay, 15,2 cm, inventory nº ABS 369 at the Tibet Museum – Fondation Alain Bordier in Gruyères (Switzerland).

Seated on a peacock throne, White Tara extends her right hand in the gesture of generosity, displaying an eye engraved in her palm – which identifies her as ‘Tara of the Seven Eyes’ (three eyes on her face, one on the palm of each hand and one on the sole of each foot). Her left hand makes the gesture to bestow refuge (tip of ring finger on tip of thumb).

14th-15th century, Tibet, Tara, gilt bronze with turquoise inlay, 11,8 cm, private collection, Auction 814 lot 134, 12th June 2023, Nagel

In this case the left hand makes the gesture of debate/discussion.

15th century, Tibet, White Tara, silver with turquoise inlay on a gilt copper base, traces of cold gold, 10,5 cm, Arts d’Asie lot 168, 15th June 2023, Sotheby’s (Paris).

Circa 15th century, Tibet, Sitatara, gilt bronze with turquoise inlay, 16 cm, Auction 819 lot 29, 7th December 2023, Nagel

Circa 17th century or earlier, Tibet, Tara, copper alloy, 11 cm, Arts d’Asie as before, lot 176, Sotheby’s

Mongolia, Vajrasattva (2)

18th century, Inner Mongolia, Dolonnor, Vajrasattva, silver (with turquoise inlay, cold gold, pigments), 16,8 cm, The Claude de Marteau Collection Part IV, lot 45, 6th October 2023, Bonhams (Hong Kong)

Vajrasattva, adorned with a prominent Chinese-style crown with serpentine ribbons, holds an upright vajra sceptre in the palm of his right hand and vajra bell in the other.

Tibet, Shadakshari Lokeshvara (3)

14th century, Tibet, Shadakshari Lokeshvara, bronze, 27,3 cm, The Moke Mokotoff Collection lot 385, 13th September 2023, Christie’s

15th century, Central Tibet, Tsang province, Shadakshari Lokeshvara, brass with silver-inlaid eyes, 27 cm, The Claude de Marteau Collection Part III, lot 6, Bonhams (Paris).

15th century, Tibet or Nepal, Shadakshari Lokeshvara, silver with turquoise inlay on a gilt copper alloy base, 8,3 cm, The Claude de Marteau Collection Part IV, lot 20, Bonhams (Hong Kong).

15th-16th century, Tibet, Shadakshari Lokeshvara, bronze, 15 cm, private collection, Asian Art auction 1226 lot 66, 21st June 2023, Lempertz

16th century style, Tibet, Shadakshari Lokeshvara, bronze with copper and stone inlay, cold gold, pigments, 16,5 cm, private collection, photo as before, lot 68.

16th century, Tibet, Shadakshari Lokeshvara, bronze, 18,5 cm, private collection, Asian Art 809, lot 27, 6th-7th July 2022, Nagel

Tibet, Vajrasattva (25)

12th-13th century, Tibet, Vajrasattva, brass, 13,5 cm, private collection, European and Asian Art lot 303, 6th June 2023, Veilinghuis Loeckx.

Vajrasattva always holds a vajra sceptre in his right hand – upright or against his heart – and a bell in his left hand (plus a bow and an arrow in his rare four-arm form).

13th century, Tibet, Vajrasattva, bronze, 25,1 cm, The Moke Mokotoff Collection lot 369, 13th September 2023 Christie’s

18th century, Tibet, Vajrasattva (labelled ‘Vajradhara’), silver with turquoise inlay and copper repoussé scarf on a gilt copper seat, 52 cm, private collection, Arts d’Asie lot 175, 15th June 2023, Sotheby’s (Paris).

A rare Dolonnor-style silver figure, with an elaborate topknot and turquoise-inlaid jewellery.

Pala India, Avalokiteshvara – various forms (2)

10th century, Northeastern India, Padmapani (Avalokiteshvara), stone, 13,8 cm, private collection, Arts d’Asie lot 142, 15th June 2023, Sotheby’s (Paris).

The bodhisattva of compassion, identified by the effigy of Amitabha in his hair and the lotus in his left hand, flanked by two female attendants.

10th century, Northeastern India, Padmapani Lokeshvara, stone, size not given, Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Works of Art lot 757, 16th March 2016, Sotheby’s

A similar depiction in quite a different style, with the right hand intact and a lotus flower in its palm. He is attended by two yaksha figures, one of them possibly Yellow Jambhala holding a mongoose in his left hand and a fruit in the other.

Circa 11th century, Northeastern India, Avalokiteshvara, silver alloy, 55,3 cm, photo: courtesy of Ulrich von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet Volume One, Visual Dharma Publications, Hong Kong, p. 311 pl. 106 B, at the Ngor E wam monastery, Tsang province (Tibet).

Apart from the locks of hair piled into a tall chignon (jatamukuta), this looks like the padmapani form too, but the monks told the author that the statue represents the khasarpana form of Avalokiteshvara.

There is an effigy of Amitabha between his hair and his tiara. His left hand makes the gesture to bestow refuge (tip of the ring finger against tip of the thumb).

11th-12th century, Indian work for Tibetans, Sadaksari Lokesvara attended by Manidhara and Sadaksari Mahavidya, stone, 13,8 cm, photo as before (p. 383 pl. 122 B), Potala Collection, Lima Lhakhang inventory nº 1576, Lhasa (Tibet).

The most common four-arm form of the deity always sits with his main hands joined before his heart to hold a wish-granting gem; his other right hand clutches a rosary, the left one holds a lotus. His attendants are Manidhara (male), who may have two or four arms, and Shadakshari Mahavidya, who is Shadakshari Lokeshvara’s female equivalent. In this case, Manidhara has two hands, in which he holds a jewel and a flower topped with a jewel. According to the author, the two figures above the attendants are monks: an Indian teacher and his Tibetan disciple (yet the latter wears a layman’s garment with long sleeves). There is an effigy of Amitabha at the top of the arch.

11th-12th century, Indian work for Tibetans, Amogapasa with Tara, Sudhanakumara, Hayagriva, and Bhrkuti, stone, 11,5 cm, photo as before (p. 381 pl. 121 C), Potala Collection, Lima Lhakhang inventory nº 1633, Lhasa (Tibet).

Amoghapasha, whose name means ‘unfailing lasso’, is usually understood as a form of Avalokiteshvara, yet he has a very different iconography. He may have two arms, in which case he holds a ring in his left hand, or four, six, eight, or twelve arms (Alice Getty even mentions one with 20 arms), in which case one of his attributes is always a noose or a lasso. The eight-arm form always holds a tridandi (a trident made of three lotus stalks) in one of his left hands, and usually has the stalk of a lotus, a manuscript, a water pot in the remaining left hands, as above. Two of the right hands hold a rosary and a noose respectively, the third one makes the fear-allaying gesture and the lower one makes the gesture of supreme generosity.

Pala India, Vajrapani (5)

11th century, Northeastern India, Standing Vajrapani, silver alloy painted with cold gold, 59 cm, photo: courtesy of Ulrich von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet Volume One, Visual Dharma Publications, Hong Kong, p. 311 pl. 106D, at the gTsug Lhakhang of the Ngor E wam monastery (Tibet).

As we saw in the Tibetan section of this blog, early portable sculptures depicting the bodhisattva Vajrapani standing don’t always include a vajra bell on the flower he holds in his left hand. In this case, the right hand would have held an upright vajra sceptre now lost.

Tibet, famous lamas (35)

16th century, Tibet, Sangye Nyenpa, silver, 6,8 cm, Indian and Himalayan Art lot 111, 21st March 2023, Sotheby’s.

Sangye Nyenpa Tashi Peljor, identified by an inscription at the back of the lotus base, makes the gesture of debate with his right hand while the other is cupped in the gesture of meditation. The border of his garments and most of the patches, including his vest – which comes unusually high up – are deeply engraved with a floral motif.  (See biographical notes  on Tashi Peljor on Treasury of Lives ).

13th century, Tibet, Jigten Sumgon Rinchen Pel, gilt copper alloy, private collection, same as before, lot 128.

We have seen a few other sculptures of this lama with distinctive facial features, although none with such a singular lotus seat. It is adorned with an incised vajra sceptre at the front (see biographical notes on Treasury of Lives ).

14th century, Tibet, Cohje (Choje?) Lorepa Wanchuk Tsondru, copper alloy, 89 cm, private collection, photo as before, lot 129.

See biographical notes on Treasury of Lives

16th century, Tibet, Sachen Kunga Nyingpo, brass with silver-inlaid eyes, 17 cm, The Claude de Marteau Collection Part II lot 26, 4th October 2022, Bonhams (Paris).

The famous teacher is depicted with a vajra sceptre in his right hand and a vajra bell in the other, in addition to the stem of a night lily that supports the hilt of a sword and a day one topped with a manuscript, which are Manjushri’s attributes. Being a layman, he wears a garment with long sleeves that covers both arms. It appears to have a cloud-shaped collar and is topped with a meditation cloak. (See biographical notes on Treasury of Lives ).

16th century, Bhutan, Ngawang Drakpa, (1520-1580) (labelled’17th century, Tibet, Dorjechang Garwang Dragpa’ on HAR ),  bronze with copper and silver inlay, private collection, Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art lot 327, 22nd March 2023, Christie’s .

The style of this brass sculpture, including the richly decorated borders of the garments, brings to mind series of non-gilt works inlaid with silver and copper attributed to a workshop (or workshops) operating in the Tsang province around the 16th century. There are several teachers with the same name, including the Guge khenchen seen in a previous post, but the dates given by the auction house correspond to the Ngawang Drakpa , born in Bhutan. His right hand makes the gesture of debate, the other is cupped to hold a vase topped with a flaming jewel.

Tibet, Karmapas (12)

16th century, Tibet, karmapa, gilt copper alloy, 36 cm, private collection, Images of Devotion lot 1029, 30th November 2022, Bonhams (Hong Kong).

The black lotus hat with a visvajra symbol at the front indicates that this figure in full monkish garb was a leader of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. His silk garments and hat are richly incised with a floral and geometrical pattern (lotus flowers enclosed in a hexagonal cell).

16th-17th century, Karma Pakshi, silver alloy with cold gold and pigment, 19,8 cm, photo on Ulrich von Schroeder, Jokhang/gTsug Lakhang Collection inventory nº 247, Lhasa (Tibet).

The second karmapa, Karma Pakshi (see Treasury of Lives), is usually depicted with both hands over his knees – with the middle finger touching the base in this case.

Nepal, Shakyamuni – unusual works

10th century, Nepal, Standing Buddha, gilt bronze and pigment, private collection, photo on Boran .

Modelled in the Indian Gupta style, with the folds of his robe in his left hand seemingly detached from the garment, this buddha with a small dharma wheel embossed in the palm of his right hand is quite similar to a (13th century) standing one seen on Christie’s – including the design of the robe and the incised rice grain motif on the hems – but in this case there are scrolling lotus leaves rising by his left foot.

9th century, Nepal, Shakyamuni, painted face and hair (main material? ivory?), private collection, photo on HAR

14th century, Nepal, Shakyamuni, silver, 12,4 cm, private collection, auction HKF3316-2 lot 3093, 4th October 2016, Poly Auction.

A rare silver sculpture of the historical buddha seated in the traditional posture, his right hand calling the goddess Earth to witness his victory over Mara, the left one in the gesture of meditation. The border of his diaphanous sanghati is decorated with a large rice grain motif between two rows of beading.

Circa 14th century, Nepal or Tibet, Shakyamuni, gilt copper alloy with turquoise inlay, 27,7 cm, private collection, photo on Sotheby’s .

We rarely see him with his hands making the ‘turning the wheel of dharma‘ gesture. The black pigment for the hair, the straight hairline, the rosettes above the ears are recurrent features on works made by Newar artists in the Kathmandu Valley …

yet, the patched garment richly decorated with a lotus print and beaded seams corresponds to the Tibetan taste, suggesting perhaps a Tibetan patron.