佛像鉴定鉴赏收藏

尺寸：高27cm
年代：14-15世纪
质地：合金铜
风格：西藏 帕拉
来源：拍卖会
成交：未成交(2016.03); 90,500美元(2000.03)
参阅：纽约邦瀚斯 纽约佳士得
鉴赏：
A silver and copper inlaid copper alloy figure of Manjushri
Tibet, 14th/15th century
His toes relaxed into the meditation posture above an ornate double lotus base, he sets the dharma in motion with his hands and from them sprout ardent lotuses that bloom with the sword and sutra either side of his sincere and reassuring expression; remains of lacquer on the reverse and a sealed base.
10 5/8 in. (27 cm) high

西藏 十四／十五世紀 銅錯銀文殊菩薩像
古比特佛像网, 编号:文殊菩萨188

This finely cast bronze bears unique copper-inlaid dimples that magnify his cheerful countenance. His lips, eyes, and urna are inlaid with silver and copper and well defined. Seated in the otherwise austere double-lotus pose, he leans to the left in an unusually relaxed posture, which again amplifies his compassionate and approachable demeanor.

His silk garments are confidently incised with floral patterns wrapped around his body. Even the underside of his silk mantle is embellished with chased lozenges, as revealed under his armpits. The caster has enhanced the bronze with a sense of volume throughout the plump lotus petals, toes, fingers, and rounded jewelry. The sutra's binding by his left shoulder is painstakingly modeled.

The shortened sword by his right shoulder and his thick jeweled crown-elements are typical of the style favored in the Yongle period (1402-1424), see Ulhig, On the Path to Enlightenment, p. 119, no. 68. The floral patterns of his silks also indicate trade and cultural interactions between Tibet and China's Yuan and early Ming dynasties. However, his broad facial type, ovoid crown leaf, and use of inlay bespeak the Western Tibetan style with antecedents in the Kashmiri tradition; see von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, p. 129, no. 21F.

Referenced
HAR - himalayanart.org/items/61437

Provenance
Christie's, New York, 22 March 2000, lot 48
Private American Collection

An Unusual and Rare Figure of Manjushri
Tibet, circa 1300
Finely cast seated in dhyanasana on a double-lotus base with beaded rim, his hands held in the gesture of teaching holding the stems of lotus flowers flanking his shoulders and supporting his attributes of the sword and book, wearing a tightly fitted dhoti finely incised with floral sprays on a stippled ground and a scarf draped across his shoulders and flaring down at the sides, richly adorned with foliate armlets, bracelets and corresponding tiara, and large disk earrings in the pendulous lobes, his face with a humorous expression with silver inlaid eyes and urna, copper inlaid lips and cheeks, remains of red lacquer to the base and to the reverse of sashes, and sealed base
10.5/8 in. (27 cm.) high

Lot Essay
While following Pala prototypes, the figure displays some unique features, such as the incised zig-zag pattern frieze encircling the base beneath the molded lotus, the folds of the scarf at the shoulder revealing an incised diamond pattern on the underside, and the copper inlaid cheeks. In turn, it may be regarded as a prototype for later Pala style revival pieces from the 15th century onward, the floral patterns of the dhoti particularly inspiring later Tibeto-Chinese examples.