Footnotes

銅鎏金吉祥天母像
清 十八世紀

This large and arresting bronze represents Palden Lhamo (lit. 'Glorious Goddess'), the only female among the Eight Dharma Protectors (dharmapala). A myth surrounding her tells of how, moved by compassion for sentient beings, she threatened to kill her own son if her husband would not cease from performing human sacrifices. Forced to carry out her ultimatum, she used her son's flayed skin as a saddle whilst fleeing the kingdom.

Palden Lhamo, especially in her two armed-form, enjoyed great popularity during the Qing dynasty and a good number of gilt bronze images were created. As with the present bronze, she is often depicted seated sideways atop a mule while striding through a sea of blood and body parts on a rocky plateau. She holds a skull cup in her left hand, while a ritual staff would have been placed in her raised right hand. Exposed fangs, bulging eyes, a skull diadem, and a garland of freshly severed heads express her vehemence.

Compared to the majority of contemporaneous examples, greater attention to detail has been paid to this bronze. For example, rather than having two identical earrings, she wears a lion earring on her right ear and a snake earring on her left. Also, the rocky base is especially refined. Rather than the common sawtooth stylized peaks repeated in most Qing examples, it has a pseudo-naturalistic manner like a choice scholar's rock.

Compare to another large gilt bronze Palden Lhamo illustrated in Lipton Barbara, Treasures of Tibetan Art, New York, 1996, p.174, pl.92. A smaller example with similarly exaggerated flaming hair is preserved in the Rose Art Museum, Massachusetts (Rhie & Thurman, Wisdom and Compassion, New York, 2000, p.303. no.116). Also see Bonhams, Hong Kong, 26 November 2019, lot 22.

Provenance
Acquired by a French colonial officer in the mid 19th century, and thence by descent
Bonhams, Hong Kong, 24 November 2012, lot 612
Private English Collection