AN IVORY FIGURE OF WHITE CHAKRASAMVARA


QIANLONG PERIOD (1735-1796)With faint remains of red pigment on his consort Vajravarahi. Himalayan Art Resources item no. 61784 8.8 cm (3 1/2 in.) high
|This rare ivory sculpture depicts an uncommon form of the great yidam Chakrasamvara, known as White Chakrasamvara. Indicated by the pair of long-life vases in his hands, the tantric practice of White Chakrasamvara is designed to prolong one's lifespan.There are a number of White Chakrasamvara traditions, but the tradition represented here was formulated by Lama Umapa (14th century), a teacher of Je Tsongkhapa (1374-1419). The iconography of Lama Umapa's White Chakrasamvara was canonized in writing by the 5th Dalai Lama, Ngagwang Lobzang Gyatso (1617-82). Unlike in most other forms, Chakrasamvara is seated, has a single face and two hands. He couples with Vajravarahi, who holds two ambrosia-filled skullcups behind his head. With slightly wrathful expressions, they behold each other.   Ivory is rarely used for Tibetan Buddhist sculpture, but its natural color lends itself to depicting Chakrasamvara's white body. Remnants of pigment indicate that Vajravarahi was once painted red; the contrast would have been stunning. Ivory's plasticity has also enabled the carver to model each deity's facial features with far subtler transitions than what can be found among contemporaneous bronze sculptures. The soft contours around Chakrasamvara's eyes are simply breathtaking. The sculpture's broad lotus petals carved in two mirroring layers are redolent of 18th-century bronzes in the "Pala revival" style produce at the Qing court (cf. The Complete Collection of Treasures: Buddhist Statues of Tibet, Hong Kong, 2008, pp.245-6, nos.234-5). An ivory example of Padmasambhava attributed to the 17th century is held in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (acc. no.M.83.218.3; Pal, Art of Tibet, Los Angeles, 1983, pp. 290-291, pl.S51a).   Published Meinrad Maria Grewening & Eberhard Rist, Buddha: 2000 Years of Buddhist Art. 232 Masterpieces, Völklingen, 2016, pp.514-5, no.230.   象牙白勝樂金剛像 乾隆時期（1735-1796年） 明妃金剛亥母身上殘留有少量朱紅顏料。 喜馬拉雅藝術資源網61784號 高8.8釐米（3 1/2英吋） 1,500,000-2,500,000港元   此件牙雕刻劃了白勝樂金剛，為本尊勝樂金剛的罕見化現。勝樂金剛雙手各捧一隻長壽寶瓶，其密宗修行可延年益壽。 有關白勝樂金剛的修法有數個不同源流，而此作品所依據的由宗喀巴（1374-1419年）的老師烏巴馬（十四世紀）所制定，本尊的圖像特徵後經五世達賴喇嘛阿旺羅桑嘉措（1617-1682年）正式確認。此處勝樂金剛不同於常見形象，造型呈現坐式、一面雙臂，擁抱明妃金剛亥母，金剛亥母手執頭骨碗兩隻。主尊與明妃表情略帶怒意、相互對望。 藏傳佛教極少使用象牙塑像，不過象牙本身的色澤很適合描繪勝樂金剛的白色軀體。殘留的色跡表明金剛亥母曾被塗為紅色，與主尊形成鮮明對比。象牙的可塑性也讓匠師能夠更加細膩的刻畫神祇面部的特徵；此處勝樂金剛眼睛周圍柔軟的輪廓讓人歎為觀止。飽滿的蓮瓣上下兩層互相呼應，讓人聯想起十八世紀清宮「帕拉復興」風格的造像（參見《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集-藏傳佛教造像》，香港，2008年，頁245-6，編號234-5）。另參考一尊藏於洛杉磯郡立美術館的十七世紀象牙蓮花生像（館藏編號M.83.218.3；參見Pal著錄，《西藏藝術》，洛杉磯，1983年，頁290-91，圖S51a）。   著錄 Meinrad Maria Grewenig & Eberhard Rist，《Buddha: 2000 Years of Buddhist Art. 232 Masterpieces》，弗爾克林根，2016年，頁514-5，編號230。