A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF AMITAYUS


ATTRIBUTED TO SONAM GYALTSEN (A.15TH CENTURY), CENTRAL TIBET, CIRCA 1430-1440Himalayan Art Resources item no.61762 21 cm (8 1/4 in.) high
|One of the most pleasing Tibetan sculptures of the Long-Life Buddha, this pristine example of Sonam Gyaltsen's craftmanship intricately portrays White Tara arising from the vase in Amitayus' lap, in a rare instance of coupling the two deities of longevity. A master artist active in the 15th century, Sonam Gylatsen's work has long been lauded as the pinnacle of Tibetan gilded sculpture and treasured in museums. Though his identity until recently has been unknown, in March 2018, Watt discovered his name and historic information about Sonam Gyaltsen on a seminal bronze of Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara (Watt in Bonhams, New York, 19 March 2018, lot 3033). Gyaltsen's Amitayus shares signature hallmarks of the artist's style reflected in the Avalokiteshvara and various subjects dispersed throughout private and public collections. These include a Vajrabhairava in the Rietberg Museum, Zurich and a Guhyasamaja in the Palace Museum, Beijing (Uhlig, On the Path to Enlightenment, Zurich, 1995, pp.168-71, no.114; Complete Collection of the Treasures of the Palace Museum, 60: Buddhist Statues of Tibet, Hong Kong, 1998 p.192, no.183; respectively). Gyaltsen completes his bronze's lotus petals in the round with symmetrically curling plump inner corolla on top of swelled outer petals with pointed tips. Gyaltsen lightly engraves Amitayus' silks with auspicious symbols. He models Amitayus with slender physiognomy. The hair is distinctively arranged into a fringe of rounded curls before the crown. Gyaltsen apportions the jewelry with restraint, such that small turquoise settings brilliantly lead the eye over the body without distracting from its alluring suppleness. Lastly, in the handsome face, Gyaltsen elegantly captures the benevolent and restful essence of Amitayus. Published Arman Neven, Art Lamaïque, Brussels, 1979, no.115.Ulrich von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, p.448, 122B. Exhibited Lamaïstische Kunst/Art Lamaïque, Société Général de Banque à Bruxelles, Brussels, 15 May - 30 June 1975.Provenance Private Collection, Belgium Lempertz, Cologne, 12 April 2015, lot 81 銅鎏金無量壽佛像 傳為索南堅贊（活躍於十五世紀）之作藏中，約1430至1440年 喜馬拉雅藝術資源網61762號 高21釐米（8 1/4英吋）2,000,000-3,000,000港元此尊為西藏無量壽佛造像中的上乘之作，且將藝師索南堅贊的高超技藝發揮得淋漓盡致。無量壽佛手中的寶瓶上刻有白度母，罕見地結合呈現此二尊長生神祗。 索南堅贊為活躍於公元十五世紀之造像藝師，其作品向被譽為西藏鎏金造像之極品，多被收錄於博物館館藏。然而索南堅贊的身份直到近日才被確認。2018年3月，其姓名及生平由學者傑夫瓦特於一尊重要的銅鎏金十一面千手觀音像上發掘（瓦特，紐約邦瀚斯，2018年3月19日，拍品3033）。 此尊無量壽佛像，風格特徵與索南堅贊的其他藏於博物館及私人收藏的作品如出一轍，其中包括蘇黎世雷特伯格博物館之一尊大威德金剛及北京故宮博物院之一尊密集金剛（分別參見Uhlig，《On the Path to Enlightenment》，頁168-71，蘇黎世，1995年，114號；以及《故宫博物院藏文物珍品全集60：藏傳佛教造像》，頁19，香港，1998年，183號）。蓮座圓鼓帶尖的外花瓣上置有對稱捲曲且豐滿的內花冠。佛身修長，絲質法袍佈滿吉祥。頭髮於冠前排成圓捲劉海。綠松石鑲嵌恰到好處，引領視線游於佛軀，而不失柔順線條。佛像面容俊逸，流露慈祥的無量佛心。 著錄 Arman Neven，《Art Lamaïque》，布魯塞爾，1979年，115號。 施羅德，《印度與西藏的銅造像》，香港，1981年，頁448，122B號。 展覽 Lamaïstische Kunst/Art Lamaïque，法國興業銀行，布魯塞爾，1975年5月15日─6月30日。 來源 比利時私人收藏 倫佩茨拍賣行，科隆，2015年4月12日，拍品81號