Mark Rasmussen
International Director
Lot 38
A terracotta polychromed figure of Hayagriva and Vajravarahi Tibet, 19th century
18 September 2013, 10:00 EDT
New YorkUS$8,000 - US$12,000
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A terracotta polychromed figure of Hayagriva and Vajravarahi
Tibet, 19th century
Standing on a lotus base astride in alidhasana on two prostrate figures with six arms radiating outwards before his wings, in his primary hands he holds Vajravarahi whose left leg is wrapped around his thigh, he wears a tiger skin and garlands of human skulls, his three faces with very fierce expressions surmounted by crowns of dried human skulls, flame-like hair, and the characteristic horse head.
14 3/8 in. (36.5 cm) high
Standing on a lotus base astride in alidhasana on two prostrate figures with six arms radiating outwards before his wings, in his primary hands he holds Vajravarahi whose left leg is wrapped around his thigh, he wears a tiger skin and garlands of human skulls, his three faces with very fierce expressions surmounted by crowns of dried human skulls, flame-like hair, and the characteristic horse head.
14 3/8 in. (36.5 cm) high
Footnotes
For a version in wood from Mongolia in the Rubin Museum of Art, see HAR no. 65732, and for a stylistically similar figure in bronze see Olson, Tantric Buddhist Art, New York, 1974, no. 72.