Details
- Title : MAHAKALA ; KALA JAMBHALA
- Year : 15th Century; 14th or 15th Century
- Classification : Sculpture
- Medium : Gilt Bronze
- Dimension : Height 3 in. (7.5 cm.) each (2)
- Accession No : GNM_LOT 1_PUN_01
- Country/ Geo-location : Nepal; Tibet
- Collection : PUNDOLE’S
- Status : LIVE AUCTION The Fine Art Sale (M0016)
- ESTIMATED : ₹120,000 - ₹180,000
- SOLD : ₹180,000
- DESCRIPTION : PROPERTY FROM THE ROSHAN SABAVALA COLLECTION
- NOTES : The Roshan Sabavala collection of Himalayan art needs little introduction to both Indian and international collectors alike. Pundole's first offered a selection of property from her collection in December 2014, awakening an interest in Nepalese and Tibetan sculpture for many first-time buyers in India. The collection once contained over three hundred works of art including paintings sculpture and decorative art, spanning the arts of Nepal, Tibet and India. Roshan Sabavala nurtured a general interest in Nepali and Tibetan art that was quickly enhanced upon meeting and interacting with the Tibetan refugees, who were coming into India in large numbers through the 1960s. They had fled the country with precious little following the Chinese invasion in 1949 and the Dalai Lama's own exodus to India. In December 1967, she and her sister organised an exhibition of Tibetan artifacts at the Jehangir Art Gallery, which was graced by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Following the success of that exhibition, they opened a small in Mumbai to sell Tibetan objects, further helping the refugees. She was also fortunate enough to be part of the Parsi elite in Mumbai that had both the necessary exposure and resources to build a substantial collection of art. Roshan and her husband were great friends with the academic Dr. Pratapaditya Pal, who has spoken on and documented their collection. Other influential figures who advised and helped build the collection included Homi Bhabha, Madhuri Desai (who ran the Bhulabhai Desai Institute), and of course many of the academics she met through her association with Marg magazine. These included Mulk Raj Anand and Karl Khandalavala. Roshan Sabavala collected Himalayan art with love and a discerning eye, at a time when many others had overlooked the arts of the region. Her passion for the arts lives on through Marg, a magazine for the arts, with which she was so closely associated. Pundole's is fortunate to offer the following seven lots from her collection which remain a testament to her passion and vision. Mahakala in his four-armed form stands in alidhasana on a prostrate figure above a lotus pedestal. He is adorned with a long garland of severed heads and wears heavy beaded bracelets and anklets. He holds various attributes including the kapala in his lower left hand and wears a crown decorated with skulls. In the Buddhist tradition, dharmapalas are seen as protective deities who defend the Buddhist teachings. Although they usually have a terrifying appearance, they are compassionate beings and protectors of the faithful. The crown of skulls, his fierce expression and the prone figure beneath his feet, all symbolise his ability to destroy any impediments to enlightenment. Mahakala is believed to be the protector of Buddhist monasteries. Jambhala striding in pratyalidhasana, tramples the prostrate figure of the Lord of Wealth, who expels jewels from his mouth, both supported on a lotus pedestal. Jambhala holds a kapala in his right hand and a mongoose in his left, which also spews jewels from its mouth. He is garlanded with snakes and his hair tied in an elaborate top-knot, set with a diminutive figure of the seated Buddha. Black Jambhala was popularised in Tibet by Bari Lotsawa (b. 1040) and the Kashmiri teacher Shakyashri Bhadra. Ngorchen Kongchog Lhundrup (1497 - 1557) states, 'the Lord Jambhala, with a body black in colour, having the appearance of a dwarf, pot bellied, without pierced ears, brown hair flowing upwards, and bared fangs, is adorned with the eight great nagas. The right hand holds a blood filled skull-cup, and the left a mongoose expelling jewels.'
- Registered Antiquity : Non-exportable Item. Please refer to the Terms and Conditions of Sale. * Antiquity or Art Treasure – Non-exportable Item. Please refer to the Terms and Conditions of Sale.