A LARGE GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF YAMA DHARMARAJA, 17TH-18TH CENTURY

Expert’s note:
The casting and incision work on this piece are of remarkably high quality, characteristic of imperial workshops from the late 17th to mid-18th century. Particularly noteworthy is the extensive use of inlaid gemstones—including coral, turquoise, and malachite—which appear not only on the front but also on the reverse. Such lavish decoration on the back, an area usually left plain or minimally finished, highlights the extraordinary level of care and resources devoted to this piece, marking it as a work of exceptional prestige.

Tibetan-Chinese. The buffalo-headed deity stands in alidhasana atop a separately cast, recumbent, caparisoned bull, which itself rests on a prostrate figure on a finely incised lotus base. The deity raises his hands in vitarkamudra and wears a tiger-skin loincloth, adorned with fine turquoise and coral inlaid jewelry, a large Dharmachakra pendant, and billowing scarves. His fierce expression bears eyes, furrowed brows, two horns, while his flaming hair is secured by a skull tiara. The figure also displays an erect member, further emphasizing his primal, powerful nature. The base sealed with an oval plate incised with a double-vajra.

Provenance: The Cyrus and Mildred Churchill Collection, Concordia House, Illinois, and thence by direct descent to their son Daniel Churchill. Jackson’s, Cedar Falls, Iowa, 18^th July 2017, lot 763 (dated 18^th-19^th century), sold for USD 28,320 or approximately EUR 32,000 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). A private collection in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, acquired from the above. Cyrus (1903-1999) and Mildred (1903-1997) Churchill had bought Chinese jades, archaic bronzes, ceramics and paintings throughout their 65-year marriage and displayed them in their home, a former bowling alley, named Concordia House. In 1938, the adventurous couple took a four-month trip around the world, traveling by freighter, bus and train to Italy, Egypt, India, Burma, Singapore, China, and Japan. They bought objects as they went, storing them in large shipping trunks. “They had to leave Shanghai because a war was going on,” their son Daniel Churchill once told the New York Times. “They had several close calls. They had to leave Japan in a Japanese cargo freighter that was going to British Columbia in order to get home.” They continued buying Chinese art in Chicago, New York and London, trading up as they went. “Father was into jade, Mother into ceramics,” Mr. Churchill said. “It was a very personal collection, and mother kept careful, annotated ledgers.” In March 2007, Sotheby’s New York held a sale of the Concordia House Collection with 167 lots, a highly successful sale that brought in USD 5.14 million, more than twice the cumulative low estimate.
Condition: Overall good condition with wear and casting irregularities. Small nicks, light scratches, losses to inlays, and remnants of ancient pigments. Small repairs to the base, buffalo’s leg and human’s arm. A fine, naturally grown, smooth patina and minute malachite encrustations.

Weight: 4,095 g
Dimensions: Height 29.2 cm

Yama Dharmaraja is a Tantric Buddhist wisdom deity, protector of the Anuttaryoga Tantra specifically used by those engaged in the practices of the Vajrabhairava Tantra. As one of the three principle religious protectors of the Gelukpa tradition, Yama Dharmaraja was held in high esteem at the Qing court.

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related gilt-bronze figure of Yama, dated to the 18^th century, 23.5 cm high, from the Folker Collection and illustrated by Ulrich von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, pl. 157E. For a Qianlong reign-marked parcel-gilt figure of Yama Dharmaraja from the Qing Court Collection, preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, see The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Buddhist Statues of Tibet, Hong Kong, 2003, pl. 205.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 20 September 2022, lot 132
Price: USD 151,200 or approx. EUR 142,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A large gilt-bronze figure of Yama Dharmaraja, Qing dynasty, 17th / 18th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject, modeling, manner of casting, gilding, and inlays. Note the related size (32.5 cm).