Footnotes

尼泊爾 約十六世紀 銅鎏金錘揲四臂文殊像

This princely image of Manjushri exemplifies the unsurpassed skill of Newari craftsmen working in repoussé. The Bodhisattva of Wisdom is portrayed as a nimble youth, modelled with graceful movement. This multi-armed form of Manjushri, known as Namasangiti, is one of the most important Buddhist deities in the Kathmandu Valley, where he is considered a spiritual progenitor of the entire Buddhist cosmos. As described in an 8th-century text, the sutra in the primary right hand would have been joined by a sword, bow, and arrow in the other hands.

Hallmarks of the lauded Newari aesthetic displayed by the present bronze include its supple, sensuous figural contours and crisp, luxurious regalia. Plump lotus roundels centered by inset semi-precious gemstones adorn the arms and crown. Teardrop cabochons surround the neck, resembling a petaled collar. Those also set into the waistbelt provide a means for approximating the dating of this bronze, the arrangement being almost identical to a Dancing Goddess attributed by Alsop to the 15th century (Alsop, ''Repoussé in Nepal'', Orientations, July 1986, vol. 17, No. 7, p. 22, fig. 10). But the greater profusion of inset stones betrays a later date of production, in keeping with a figure of Syamatara in the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco (von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, p. 380, no. 102C) and a superlative repoussé Bodhisattva sold by Bonhams, New York, 14 March 2016, lot 25.

Published:
Nancy Tingley, Celestial Realms: The Art of Nepal from California Collections, Sacramento, 2012, p. 56, no. 9C.

Exhibited:
Celestial Realms: The Art of Nepal, Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, California, 10 October 2012 - 10 February 2013.

Provenance:
Private California Collection, acquired in California in the 1980s