
Jing Wen
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Sold for €48,255 inc. premium
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Global Head of Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art

International Director

International Specialist

Head of Sale, Specialist
A POLYCHROME PAPIER-MÂCHÉ AND SILVER MOUNTED MASK OF A WRATHFUL DEITY
TIBET, 19TH CENTURY
西藏 十九世紀 紙塑加彩嵌銀怒相本尊面具
This is one of the most powerful and dramatically rendered masks to appear on the market. Indicative of his skill hand, the artist has imbued a mesmerizing alertness and intensity to the mask's piercing eyes beneath flaming eyebrows emblazoned in gold. There is vary iconography with the buffalo-head that is most commonly associated with Yama, the lord of Death. In the capacity of Vajrabhairava, Yama is a manifestation of Manjushri, the fierce archetype of wisdom's triumph over death, expelling the forces adverse to law and goodness.
Ritual horned masks of similar size and quality can be found in several museums, including the Rubin Museum of Art (C2006.52.10; HAR 65716), the Zanabazar Museum of Fine Arts (HAR 50754), and the Chojin Lama Museum in Ulan Batar, Mongolia (HAR 53076).
Published:
Francois Pannier, La Danse Des Morts. Citipati De l'Himalaya, Danse Macabres et Vanites De l'Occident, Paris, 2004, p. 38, no. 19.
Exhibited:
La Danse Des Morts: Citipati De l'Himalaya, Danse Macabres et Vanites De l'Occident, Galerie le Toit du Monde, Paris, 15 September – 30 October 2004.
Masks a art tribal de himalaya, Musee des arts asiatic, Ville de Toulon, 5 April - 31 August 2008
Provenance:
Galerie le Toit du Monde, Paris, early 2000s