Nepal. The deity carved with three heads to the front, and one head visible to the reverse, the body striding over Chamunda and another prostate figure, framed by a pair of six arms, each with an accoutrement, including a rope, a chopper, a lotus flower, skull heads, a skull bowl, amongst others, and the primary hands crossed over the chest and holding a vajra and vajra bell. The three heads, each finely incised with almond-shaped eyes centered by a third eye, and surmounted by ornate crowns. The body adorned in beaded jewelry, a garland of severed heads, and a beaded dhoti. All backed by a flaming mandorla.

The lower section incised with a lengthy Nepalese inscription.

Provenance: The Kienzle Family Collection, Stuttgart, Germany. Acquired between 1950 and 1985 by siblings Else (1912-2006), Reinhold (1917-2008), and Dr. Horst Kienzle (1924-2019), during their extensive travels in Asia. Subsequently inherited by Dr. Horst Kienzle and bequeathed to the Museum für Asiatische Kunst, Radevormwald, Germany. Released through museum deaccession in 2024. The Kienzle siblings were avid travelers and passionate collectors of Asian and Islamic art. During their travels, the Kienzle’s sought out and explored temples, monasteries, and markets, always trying to find the best pieces wherever they went, investing large sums of money and forging lasting relationships to ensure they could acquire them. Their fervor and success in this pursuit is not only demonstrated by their collection but further recorded in correspondences between Horst Kienzle and several noted dignitaries, businesses and individuals in Nepal and Ladakh. Their collection had gained renown by the 1970s, but the Kienzle’s stopped acquiring new pieces around 1985. Almost thirty years later, the collection was moved to the Museum für Asiatische Kunst, Radevormwald, opened by Peter Hardt in 2014. Before his death in 2019, Horst Kienzle bequeathed his entire property to Peter Hardt and legally adopted him as his son, who has been using the name Peter Kienzle-Hardt ever since.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, few tiny chips along the rims, and remnants of ritual pigments.

Weight: 15.1 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 44.6 cm (excl. stand), 48.3 cm (incl. stand)

Mounted to a modern stand. (2)

Samvara is the central deity of the Chakrasamvara tantra, and also called Sri Heruka or simply Heruka. This figure became popular in Buddhist circles around the 8th century. The noun samvara derives from a verb which means to bind, enclose, or conceal, and samvara commonly means ‘vow’ and sometimes ‘sanctuary’. In the tantra it appears in various compounds, such as ‘the binding of the dakini net’ (ḍakinijalasamvara), which is associated with the term ‘union with Sri Heruka’. In this sense, samvara can also refer to ‘union’, which is supreme bliss and supreme awakening.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Bonhams New York, 19 March 2019, lot 932
Estimate: USD 12,575 or approx. EUR 15,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A stone stele of Chintamani Lokeshvara, Nepal, circa 16th century
Expert remark: Compare the similar facial features, treatment of the crowns, the form of the mandorla, and size (44.5 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Bonhams New York, 17 September 2014, lot 3
Estimate: USD 11,875 or approx. EUR 15,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A green stone stele of Lakshminarayana, Nepal, circa 17th century
Expert remark: Compare the similar treatment of the mandorla. Note the size (37.3 cm).