Mark Rasmussen
International Director
Lot 14
A gilt copper alloy and inlaid turquoise figure of Manjushri Tibet, 15th century
16 March 2015, 16:00 EDT
New YorkSold for US$118,750 inc. premium
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A gilt copper alloy and inlaid turquoise figure of Manjushri
Tibet, 15th century
Holding the silver wire lotus stems supporting the sword (khadga) and turquoise-inset sutra (pustaka), wearing an incised lower garment and adorned with lavishly inlaid crown jewels.
11 1/2 in. (29.5cm) high
Holding the silver wire lotus stems supporting the sword (khadga) and turquoise-inset sutra (pustaka), wearing an incised lower garment and adorned with lavishly inlaid crown jewels.
11 1/2 in. (29.5cm) high
Footnotes
This remarkable figure of Manjushri is an enigma within the oeuvre of Himalayan sculpture. While representing the finest sculptural qualities of the 15th century, the artist responsible went further to embellish the figure and base with turquoise to a level that has no precedent. Believed to house mana, turquoise is highly prized in Tibet and used to enhance sculptures and rituals. The recessed pockets and sutra element at the left shoulder are cast in anticipation of the inlay, demonstrating that the current form was clearly intended at the time of production.
A closely related sculpture of Vajrabhairava in the Museum Rietberg (see Uhlig, On a Path to Enlightenment, Zurich, 1995, p. 170, no. 114) enjoys a similar application to the crown and necklace, but stops short of the base. Other more restrained, but notable comparisons can be drawn from a 15th-century figure of Syamatara sold by Christie's, New York, 17 September 1999, lot 93, which also has a turquoise inset on the flowers and minor spots on the upper rim of the base, and another in the Potala Palace Collection published in Berger, et. al, Tibet: Treasures from the Roof of the World, Santa Ana, 2003, p. 186, no. 82.
The facial type and treatment of the hairline beneath the crown are almost identical to a figure of Syamatara, formerly in the Goldman Collection, sold by Sotheby's, New York, 21 March 2002, lot 158. A further indication of the importance of the casting is found in the gilded base plate finely incised with a visvajra, which remains undisturbed.
Referenced:
HAR – himalayanart.org/image.cfm/41233.html
Provenance:
Sotheby's, London, 9 July, 1979, lot 54
Private English Collection, 1979-2014