Footnotes

Contained within a fine repoussé shrine box, the dancing goddess raises a ritual knife above her head while balancing effortlessly on her left tiptoes. The diminutive sow's head tucked behind her right ear identifies her as the wrathful goddess Vajravarahi, the consort of the great transformational deity Samvara.

Her superbly modeled figure and the looped beaded design of her necklace and girdle are consistent with an inscribed Khasa Malla silver figure of Chakrasamvara published in Singer & Denwood, Tibetan Art, London, 1997, p.75, no.53. The Khasa Malla also favored the use of silver and gold in their figures, evinced by two silver figures of Hevajra in private collections published in ibid., p.76, no.54; and Heller Tibetan Art, Milan, 1999, p.120, no.77.

The use of gaus (shrine boxes) is common throughout the Himalayas. Whereas those used for travel typically have a window to reveal the figure inside, the present lot would have likely occupied a private altar, storing the deity until the appropriate practice. The applied silver skulls to its doors allude to Vajravarahi's role as a protector of esoteric practice, and also indicate the shrine was custom-made for the figure. Its pointed arch is superbly detailed and proportioned. Compare its quality with a ritual chakra at Rehol, published in Zhang & Xu (eds.), Qinggong Micang: Chengde Bishushanzhuang Zangchuan Fojiao Wenwu Tezhan Tulu, Taipei, 1999, p.150, no.63.

Also compare two related ritual boxes, one with a silver figurine of Chakrasamvara, sold at Bonhams, New York, 13 September 2011, lot 1032; and 16 March 2015, lot 53; as well as another in the Ford Collection at The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, (see Pal, Desire and Devotion, London, 2001, p.320, no.192).

Provenance
Private Collection, Japan
Private Asian Collection acquired from the above in 1993


銀鎏金金剛亥母像配銅鎏金錘疊嘎烏盒
西藏，約十五世紀
喜馬拉雅藝術資源網2454號
金剛亥母像：高14釐米（5 1/2 英吋）
嘎烏盒：22 x 15 x 10釐米（8 5/8 x 5 7/8 x 3 7/8英吋）

2,000,000-3,000,000港元

佛母在精緻的錘疊嘎烏盒中婆娑起舞，其右手持金剛鉞刀，右足懸空，左腳尖觸地，輕鬆地保持平衡。佛母右耳後有豬首伸出，由此可知其身份為金剛亥母，為勝樂金剛的明妃。

她優雅的造型、環形的串珠項鍊和腰帶均類似於一尊帶銘文的卡薩馬拉銀製勝樂金剛像，出版於Singer與Denwood，西藏藝術，倫敦，1997年，頁75，53號。卡薩馬拉藝術家熱衷以金銀造像，已知的兩尊喜金剛銀像即可為例（同上，頁76，54號；以及Heller，西藏藝術，1999年，米蘭，頁120，77號）。

嘎烏盒（小型神龕）的使用在整個喜馬拉雅地區都極為常見。 那些用於旅行的嘎烏盒通常配有窗口，以便盒中之神像隨時可見；而此拍品則應用於私人祭壇，作為祭拜時間以外置放神像的收納盒。嘎烏盒門上飾有銀質骷髏頭，暗指金剛亥母作為密宗護法的角色，說明此嘎烏盒是為金剛亥母量身訂做之物。盒頂呈尖拱狀，其比例完美、做工細膩。此拍品之工藝水平可與熱河寺一法輪相比照，參見張宏實與徐盼蘋（編）， 清宮秘藏: 承德避暑山庄藏傳佛教文物特展圖錄，台北，1999年，頁150，63號。

另可比照兩隻相關嘎烏盒，其中一隻藏納銀質勝樂金剛像，售於紐約邦翰斯，201１年９月1３日，拍品１０３２號，及2015年3月16日，拍品53號；另一件藏於巴爾地摩的沃爾特斯美術館（參見 Pal，Desire and Devotion，倫敦， 2001年，頁320，192號 ）。

來源
日本私人珍藏
亞洲私人珍藏，於1993年購自上述收藏