A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF YAMA DHARMARAJA

QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

Footnotes

Yama Dhamaraja is a wisdom deity crucial to the Vajrabhairava Tantra, which is found within Sakya, Kagyu, and Gelug teachings. According to it, Manjushri took the form of Yama Dhamaraja to subdue Death ('Yama'), the personification of endless suffering through the cycle of death and rebirth. Yama Dhamaraja holds special significance for the Gelugpa, who regard him, alongside Shadbhuja Mahakala and Vaishravana, as one of the order's three principal protectors.

Imbued with a commanding presence, this sculpture expresses the power and ferocity of Yama Dhamaraja's aspect as a protector of the dharma and its practitioners. His pronounced, wrinkled snout, flaming beard, and bulging eyes are especially evocative of this. Further details such as the bull-mount's flaring nostrils, the crushed figure's parting hair, and the lotus petals completed in the round indicate a level of craftsmanship on par with the imperial workshops.

Compare with other significant examples published in Pal, The Art of Tibet, New York, 1969, p.102, pl.72; von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong 1981, pp.550-1, no.157E; and Neven, Art Lamaique, Bruxelles, 1975, pl.87. Smaller examples were sold at Bonhams, New York, 18 September 2013, lot 23 and Christie's, Paris, 7 December 2007, lot 368.

Provenance
Private English Collection


銅鎏金閻魔護法像
清朝，十八世紀
喜馬拉雅藝術資源網2138號
高33.2釐米（13 1/8 英寸）

4,000,000 - 6,000,000 港元

閻魔護法(又名降閻魔尊)乃大威德金剛法門裡一位重要的智慧本尊，於薩迦派、噶舉派和格魯派的教法中皆有出現。根據教義，文殊菩薩化身為閻魔護法，以降伏代表無盡生死輪回之苦的閻魔。閻魔護法之於格魯派地位尤為重要，被奉為三大主護法之一，另外兩位為六臂大黑天與財寶天王。

此尊造像威風凜凜，展現出閻魔護法作為佛法與修行者之守護神所具有的法力與威猛，尤其體現在其突出的帶褶皺之口鼻、火焰般的胡須、以及怒瞪的雙眼之中。其它諸多細節，如公牛坐騎外擴的鼻孔、其下方被降伏者分明的發線、完整一圈蓮瓣之底座，皆體現出此造像工藝之精細，媲美宮廷造像的水准。

其它重要參考作品出版於Pal，The Art of Tibet，紐約，1969年，頁102，圖72；馮·施羅德，印度與西藏的銅造像，香港，1981年，頁550-551，圖157E；Neven，Art Lamaique，布魯塞爾，1975年，圖87。另亦有兩尊尺寸較小作品可做參考，見邦瀚斯紐約，2013年9月18日，23號拍品；佳士得巴黎，2007年12月7日，368號拍品。

來源
英國私人收藏