Jing Wen
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Lot 155
COIFFE DE VAJRASATTVA EN CUIVRE ET ARGENT REPOUSSÉ PARTIELLEMENT DORÉ TIBET ORIENTAL, VERS XVIIIE SIÈCLE
Amended
15 December 2022, 14:00 CET
Paris, Avenue Hoche€15,000 - €20,000
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COIFFE DE VAJRASATTVA EN CUIVRE ET ARGENT REPOUSSÉ PARTIELLEMENT DORÉ
TIBET ORIENTAL, VERS XVIIIE SIÈCLE
Himalayan Art Resources item no. 205092
45 cm (17 3/4 in.) high
Himalayan Art Resources item no. 205092
45 cm (17 3/4 in.) high
Footnotes
A COPPER AND PARCEL-GILT SILVER REPOUSSÉ VAJRASATTVA HEADDRESS
EASTERN TIBET, CIRCA 18TH CENTURY
藏東 約十八世紀 銅及局部銀鎏金錘揲金剛薩埵法冠
This ritual crown would have been worn by a Newari Buddhist priest, called a vajracharya ('master of the vajra'), during ritual practice or while officiating ceremonies. The crown's Buddhas of the Five Directions and its axis mundi vajra finial, Pal notes, "...add a cosmic dimension to the crown; by wearing it the priest himself becomes homologized with the cosmic principle or divine essence." (Art of the Himalayas, New York, 1991, p. 49). Compare with a closely related crown in the Victoria and Albert Museum (Guy, Indian Temple Sculpture, London, 2018, p. 59. pl. 59), and another, dated 1864, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (36.25.2979).
As noted by Huntington (Circle of Bliss, p. 227) this, 'very rare and remarkable Tibetan version of the Newar-style headdress is the powerfully produced and deeply articulated version of the classic type (Bonhams, 16 March 2015, lot 4). It displays the usual five Jina Buddhas and Vajrasattva, but their female aspects are present only by implication. In an interesting variation, the "family" or "clan" (kula) symbols of the four Jinas of the four cardinal quadrants of the mandala are depicted in their respective directions: a vajra representing the Vajra family in the east, the jewel of the Ratna family in the south, the lotus of the Dharma (or Padma) family in the west, and the double-vajra (visvavajra) of the Karma clan to the north.'
He further notes that, 'the workmanship of this exquisite headdress strongly suggests the Kham or Amdo area of Eastern Tibet, thus one can conclude that one of the senior teachers in that area also chose the Newar type as a demonstration of his attainment.'
Published:
Ramon Prats, et.al., Monasterios y lamas del Tibet, Madrid, Fundación "La Caixa", 2000, 118, no. 58.
John Huntington and Dina Bangdel, Circle of Bliss, Los Angeles, 2003, p. 228, no. 61.
Exhibited:
Monasterios y lamas del Tibet, Fundación "La Caixa", Madrid, November 2000-January 2001.
Circle of Bliss, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5 October - 31 October, 2003.
Provenance:
Peter Vasquez, London, 1980s
Saleroom notices
Veuillez noter qu'il existe une provenance complémentaire pour ce lot : Estimation faite par Spink & Son Ltd., Londres, le 19 septembre 1990. / Please note that there is additional provenance on this lot: Valuation made by Spink & Son Ltd., London, on 19 September 1990. / 敬請注意，此拍品來源有所補充：倫敦斯賓克拍賣行曾於1990年9月19日對此拍品進行鑒定。