Fine Chinese Art, Buddhism and Hinduism

Page 266

Over the past 50 years, Alain Presencer has devoted his life to the study and promotion of Tibetan Buddhism and culture. His contributions to the field resulted in numerous recognitions, including his appointment as a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society. Alain also brought to the West his knowledge of the extraordinary and mystical religious music of the region. As a result, he 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.

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A LARGE VAJRASANA BUDDHA 15TH CENTURY Tibet, 15th century. Fire-gilt bronze. This elegant figure of Buddha Vajrasana (thub pa rdo rje gdan) is cast in the traditional posture of meditation. A small vajra sits atop his lotus throne, identifying him as a particular form of Shakyamuni, the sage of the diamond throne. Provenance: Freddy Hansen, Copenhagen, 1970. Thereafter in the Alain Presencer collection. Published: Himalayan Art Resources item no. 61648. Condition: Superb condition with original sealing. Old wear, minuscule cracklings and a few small nicks here and there. Old cold painting.

Weight: 1905 grams. Dimensions: Height 23.5 cm. Finely modeled with long limbs and a slender body, this gilded figure demonstrates a Tibetan perception of the idealized body, much different from Indian models. For another example of this body perception, see von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, pages 442-443, no. 119B. Seated atop a double-lotus base, Buddha displays the bhumisparshamudra, or earth-touching gesture, calling witness to his enlightenment. The aquiline nose and the incised hem of the figure’s robe, which wraps around the proper-left arm, also point to a distant Newar influence, especially with its full and round shoulders and the robe’s hem draped over the left shoulder, coming to an end in the shape of a swallow’s tail. Only very few examples share these significant stylistic details. A copper plate marked with a double vajra is evidence of this sculpture’s formal consecration and appears to be the original seal. The presence of the small vajra before Buddha’s ankles references Shakyamuni’s enlightenment at Bodh Gaya in India. Its appearance in this 15th-century Tibetan bronze distinguishes the subject from the Presiding Buddha, Akshobhya, who resides in a celestial abode, and is shown seated in the same posture.

十五世紀釋迦牟尼坐蓮像 西藏, 十五世紀。銅鎏金,精美的釋迦牟尼傳統坐蓮像,蓮座上橫放一個金剛 杵,所以這是一個特殊的釋迦牟尼金剛寶座形式。 來源:1970年哥本哈根Freddy Hansen。之後在Alain Presencer 收藏。 出版:Himalayan Art Resources item no. 61648 品相:極好,原始封底,老磨損,輕微磕碰和一些小劃痕。舊的冷繪彩。 重量:1905 克 尺寸:高 23.5 厘米

Estimate EUR 8.000,Starting price EUR 4.000,-

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