Important Chinese Art | 中國藝術珍品

Important Chinese Art | 中國藝術珍品

View full screen - View 1 of Lot 51. A large silver and gilt-copper repoussé head of Vajrabharaiva Tibet, 18th/19th century | 藏傳 十八/十九世紀 銀捶揲局部鎏紅銅牛首.

Property from an Important European Private Collection

A large silver and gilt-copper repoussé head of Vajrabharaiva Tibet, 18th/19th century | 藏傳 十八/十九世紀 銀捶揲局部鎏紅銅牛首

VAT reduced rate

Auction Closed

May 11, 12:24 PM GMT

Estimate

40,000 - 60,000 GBP

Lot Details

Description

Property from an Important European Private Collection

A large silver and gilt-copper repoussé head of Vajrabharaiva

Tibet, 18th/19th century

藏傳 十八/十九世紀 銀捶揲局部鎏紅銅牛首



Length 26.5 cm, 10 3/4 in.

Christie's London, 13th June 1977, lot 77.

Acquired from Gisèle Croës, Brussels.

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倫敦佳士得1977年6月13日，編號77

Gisèle Croës，布魯塞爾

This large and powerfully-modelled head depicts Yamantaka Vajrabhairava, the wrathful manifestation of Manjushri, the bodhisattva of Discriminating Wisdom. Skilfully created from silver and gilt copper, the large and ferocious buffalo head is depicted with towering, fiery tresses, surmounted by three fierce human faces at the crown. The bull's head signifies Vajrabhairava's conquest of the buffalo-headed god, Yama, the lord of death in ancient Indian mythology, thus eliminating the obstacle of death (Sanskrit: yama-antaka) through the enlightened Buddhist state of transcendent wisdom.

Vajrabhairava is typically depicted together with his consort Vajravetali in ecstatic union. See for example a large sculpture of Yamantaka included in the exhibition The Crucible of Compassion and Wisdom, Exhibition of Buddhist Bronzes from the Nitta Group Collection, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1987, cat. no. 30, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 2nd October 2017, lot 3128.  For another large sculpture of Vajrabharaiva without consort, with closely related treatment of the head, see himalayan art resources, item no. 10091.