Dora Tan
Head of Sale, Specialist
Lot 1031
A POLYCHROMED WOOD PANEL WITH LOTUS-BORNE BUDDHAS AND VAJRA TIBET, 13TH/14TH CENTURY
2 December 2021, 19:00 HKT
Hong Kong, Six Pacific PlaceSold for HK$102,000 inc. premium
Looking for a similar item?
Our Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Art specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialistAsk about this lot
Mark Rasmussen
International Director
A POLYCHROMED WOOD PANEL WITH LOTUS-BORNE BUDDHAS AND VAJRA
TIBET, 13TH/14TH CENTURY
Himalayan Art Resources item no.4512
18.7 x 75.4 cm (7 3/8 x 29 3/4 in.)
Himalayan Art Resources item no.4512
18.7 x 75.4 cm (7 3/8 x 29 3/4 in.)
Footnotes
西藏 十三/十四世紀 木質彩繪十二佛飾板
Carved with a pleasing symmetrical design, this panel centers on a vase of plenty (purna kalasha), from which sprout meandering vines forming two rows of roundels, each encircling a Confession Buddha. A lotus-borne vajra, the eponymous symbol of Vajrayana Buddhism, also rises directly from the vase. The floral sprays carry an abundance of lily pads and laden blossoms, conveying a great bounty arising from the obscured divine waters contained within the vase.
The stylistic treatment of the vajra, the Buddhas' robes, and the lotus petals are consistent with paintings and sculptures created during the 13th-14th centuries. Compare the carved vajra to a 14th-century gilt bronze example published in Bigler, Before Yongle, 2015, pp.124-5, no.29. Also see a sutra cover from the MacLean Collection featuring a similar design of two rows of deities within foliate roundels emerging from an auspicious vase (Sellig-Brown, Protecting Wisdom, 2012, pp.160-1, no.35).
Provenance:
Ex-John Stewart and Arnold Liebermann, 2000s