
Mark Rasmussen
International Director
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Sold for US$6,250 inc. premium
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International Director
西藏 約十三世紀 鐵錯銅金剛橛
This inspired purbha stands out for its use of different metals to better illustrate the three stages of decay among the faces in its top register - a leitmotif in Tibetan art, reinforcing Buddhist precepts of impermanence. A reddish copper face with a weak jaw refers to youth. A central face of brass depicts a man in his prime, while the vestiges of a third face in meteoric iron cleverly conveys the rotting corpse buried in the earth. Another notable feature is the purbha's four-pronged vajra-grip, almost reminiscent of prized thogchaks.
Provenance
Private American Collection, assembled in the 1970s/80s
Private New York Collection, acquired 1990s