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A large gilt-metal filigree and inset stone votive plaque to Vishnu Nepal, 19th century
Sold for US$25,000 inc. premium
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A large gilt-metal filigree and inset stone votive plaque to Vishnu
Set with semi-precious stones including turquoise, rubies and sapphires on a gilt background.
22 3/4 x 19 1/4in (57.9 x 49cm)
Footnotes
尼泊爾 十九世紀 鎏金掐絲鑲雜寶毗濕奴像飾板
This votive plaque would have been made for an early modern domestic shrine. Its glorious arrangement of intricate gilt filigree and copious semi-precious stones positions Vishnu aboard Garuda at the center flanked by conch-bearing naginis and apsaras by a parasol above.
Breathtakingly lavish, it not only confers the enduring, multivalent mastery of Nepali craftsmanship in filigree, repoussé, stone-cutting, stone-polishing, and inlay, but also stands as a concluding example for the practice of expressing love through adorning and beautifying the deity's body.
Compare a plaque of Avalokiteshvara from the Avery Brundage Collection held in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco (acc. #B60S80). The almost identical size, composition, and choice of inset stones indicates the present lot is from the same workshop.
Published
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 28 March 1975
Exhibited
The Treasure Room, Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, PA, 1974
Provenance
Private Pennsylania collection since 1936
Thence by descent to the current owner














