A GILT COPPER-ALLOY FIGURE OF VAJRADHARA, TIBET, CIRCA 15TH CENTURY

Seated in dhyanasana on a double lotus base with beaded upper rim, the hands held in vajrahumkara mudra before the chest, representing vajra and ghanta, the two symbols of wisdom and compassion supported on lotus blossoms issuing from his elbows. The Adi-Buddha is dressed in a dhoti with minutely incised floral hems, and decorated in various beaded necklaces, turquoise-inlaid ear loops, armlets, and bangles.

The face sensitively modeled with a serene expression marked by sinuously lidded downcast eyes, arched brows, and slender bow-shaped lips forming a subtle smile, the hair tied in a tall chignon terminating in a flame behind the openworked tiara crown. The base sealed, the sealplate neatly punched with a double-vajra.

Provenance: Peter Fussel, London, 1973. The Presencer Collection of Buddhist Art, acquired from the above. Bonhams Hong Kong, 2 October 2018, lot 130, estimate of HKD 350,000 or EUR 43,500 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). Two labels to the base, inscribed ‘Vajradhara’ and ‘Tibet 15^th C’. Alain Presencer (b. 1939) is a renowned Tibetologist, collector, musician, and long-standing Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society. He began studying Buddhism at age 13, later training under Professor Mathera Sadhatissa at the University of Toronto in 1961-1962, before relocating to the UK in the 1970s to immerse himself in Tibetan culture. Over the past 60 years, Alain brought to the West his knowledge of the Himalayan region. By gaining access to remote monasteries, he amassed a comprehensive collection of Tibetan Buddhist artifacts, encompassing thangkas, ritual implements, statues, mandala plaques, and singing bowls. He also produced a popular recording of his own performances, introducing this musical genre to a global audience with his album 'The Singing Bowls of Tibet', which has sold over a million copies to date. Significant pieces from his collection were sold at his personal sale at Bonhams Hong Kong on 2 October 2018. Subsequently, Alain Presencer wrote a book on his lifelong field of study, titled Tibetan Buddhist Art and published in 2019, featuring images of several objects from his collection.
Published: Himalayan Art Resources, item no. 61634.
Condition: Overall good condition with minor wear, casting irregularities, scattered small nicks and light surface scratches, the gilding with expected rubbing and losses to common areas of tactile worship such as the nose, chin, and base. The back of the base with few minuscule fissures, the neck with a stress crack and associated old repair, the ears and earrings also with minor old repairs. Losses to inlays. Small dents and encrustations to the base. Remnants of ancient varnish.

Weight: 1.6 kg
Dimensions: Height 21.1 cm

This image of the primordial buddha Vajradhara is characteristic of Tibetan sculpture during the fifteenth century, especially the Yongle and Xuande periods. The long and slim proportions of the torso, the delicate physiognomy, the gentle sway of the upper body, and the slender hands are typical for this type. The scarf draped over the shoulders passing over the arms with loops extending at the elbow is a feature often seen in Xuande period sculpture. Furthermore, the lotuses at the shoulders, and the fine elongated lotus petals of the pedestal, are clearly inspired by these early Ming masterpieces. The use of turquoise to embellish the heavier jewelry, on the other hand, denotes the Tibetan taste.

From metaphysical debates on the multiplicity and unity of Buddhas, arises the notion of an Adi-Buddha: a primordial source of enlightenment pervading the universe, from which all things come and into which all enlightened beings dissolve. Vajradhara represents the Adi-Buddha in most Tibetan Buddhist schools. He crosses Vajrayana's ubiquitous symbols, the vajra and ghanta, before his chest in the vajrahumkara mudra. However in this charismatic sculpture, these symbols for Wisdom and Compassion blossom from his activity on lotuses by his shoulders. To represent Vajradhara is paradoxical, given the Adi-Buddha is formless, however it allows the practitioner to reference an ineffable, underlying reality.

Literature comparison:
Compare two related Tibetan gilt bronze figures of Vajradhara with similar lotus blossoms at the shoulders, one dated 15^th-16^th century, 28 cm tall, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, accession number 南購銅000039N000000000, and the other dated to the 16^th century, 30.5 cm high, in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, object number B60B165, and illustrated by Ulrich von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, 1981, p. 442-443, no. 119G. Compare a related larger Tibetan gilt bronze figure of Vajradhara, with similar loop-form celestial scarf, dated to the 15^th century, 47.6 cm high, in the Newark Museum of Art, object number 70.5A.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s Paris, 12 December 2018, lot 26
Price: EUR 106,250 or approx. EUR 125,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An important gilt-bronze figure of Vajradhara, Tibet, 15th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, manner of casting, and subject, with a similar sway, lotus blossom flanking the body, and jewelry. Note the larger size (28 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 21 March 2019, lot 940
Price: USD 20,000 or approx. EUR 21,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A gilt copper alloy figure of Vajradhara, Tibet, 14^th/15^th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, manner of casting, and subject, with a similar sway and expression. Note the cold-gilded face and the smaller size (16 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 27 November 2024, lot 1018
Price: HKD 256,000 or approx. EUR 28,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A gilt copper alloy figure of Tara, Tibet, 15^th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, manner of casting, and gilding, with similar lotus base, gentle sway, and size (21 cm).

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