A BRONZE FIGURE OF AMITAYUS OR MANJUSHRI

Details

• Title : A BRONZE FIGURE OF AMITAYUS OR MANJUSHRI
• Classification : Sculpture
• Medium : Bronze
• Country/ Geo-location : Nepal
• Period : THAKURI PERIOD, 11TH CENTURY
• Collection : Christies
• LOT : 623
• Pre-Lot Text : PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATE OF BARONESS EVA BESSENYEY
• Lot Essay : The present figure either depicts Amitayus, the bliss-body of the tathagata Amitabha, or the bodhisattva of wisdom, Manjushri. The figure is adorned with the standard six ornaments, and is seated in dhyanasana atop a cushioned platform adorned with lions. These qualities would identify him as Amitayus, but the tiger-claw necklace is characteristic of Manjushri. The current work displays strong characteristics of Nepalese ateliers, as such the rich coppery tone and throne design. Strong influences of the contemporaneous Pala tradition from Northeast India are also strongly articulated, including the tripartite crown and tubular limbs. The ribbons of fabric or samkhapatras that secure the figure’s crown regularly appear in late Licchavi period sculpture, but later became standard, corroborating the attribution of this rare sculpture to the transitional Thakuri period. For two nearly identical examples, see figure a, from the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and figure b, sold at Christie's New York, 21 September 2007.
• Price realised : USD 25,000
• Estimate : USD 30,000 - USD 50,000
• Provenance : Christie's New York, 17 October 2001, lot 52.