A magnificent gilt copper-alloy figure of Yama Dharmaraja

18th century

Footnotes

十八世紀 銅鎏金閻魔護法像

Provenance:
An English private collection

Himalayan Art Resources item no.2138

來源：
英國私人收藏

喜馬拉雅藝術資源網2138號

The protective figure of Yama Dhamaraja is superbly cast and gilt, richly adorned with jewellery embellished with semi-precious stones. The exquisite craftsmanship is evident in the attention to detail in the facial expressions of the main deity and the bull and in the individual facial features of the heads suspended from the necklace.

Yama Dhamaraja is a wisdom deity crucial to the Vajrabhairava Tantra, which is found within Sakya, Kagyu, and Gelug teachings. According to the teachings, 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 parted hair, and the lotus petals completed in the round indicate a level of craftsmanship on a par with the Imperial Workshops.

Compare with other examples: a similar parcel-gilt copper figure described as Yamantaka, 18th century, from the Qing Court Collection, in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Buddhist Statues of Tibet, Hong Kong, 2003, no.205; another example illustrated by P.Pal, The Art of Tibet, New York, 1969, p.102, pl.72; a gilt brass figure of Yama, 18th century, illustrated by U.von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, no.157E; and see also a gilt-bronze figure of Yama Dharmaraja, 18th century, illustrated by A.Neven, Lamaistic Art, Brussels, 1975, pl.87.

A smaller gilt copper-alloy figure of Yama Dhamaraja and Chamundi, 17th/18th century (19cm high), was sold in our New York Rooms, 18 September 2013, lot 23; another related larger example of Yama and Yami, 18th century, was sold at Christie's Paris, 7 December 2007, lot 368.

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、火焰般的鬍鬚、以及怒瞪的雙眼之中。其他諸多細節，如公牛坐騎外擴的鼻孔、其下方被降伏者分明的髮線、完整一圈蓮瓣之底座，皆體現出此造像工藝之精細，媲美宮廷造像的水準。

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，見紐約邦瀚斯，2013年9月18日，拍品編號23；以及巴黎佳士得，2007年12月7日，拍品編號368。