Sacred Manjushri Figure Standing Sentinel in the Himalayas
Nov 20, 2023 #antique
#antique
Over 1500 years ago, far above the clouds in high-mountain Asia, this copper alloy figure of bodhisattva Manjushri broke from its mould for the first and only time. Created using the lost wax technique in central Tibet, the mould was destroyed in the process of its creation, making it impossible to duplicate. Modeled after the classic Nepalese standing bodhisattvas of the Transitional Period, Manjushri is identified as the deity of transcendent wisdom and was meant to serve as a personal guide along the path to enlightenment. On behalf of the world-renowned Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, Sotheby's is pleased to offer this rare standing sculpture of Manjushri on 20 September 2021.
So often in the West, we view the ideal representation of the body coming from
the Greco-Roman tradition and the Renaissance. This is a reminder that even
in the middle of the Himalayas, beautiful forms and elegant representations of the
body were created. It speaks to the universal nature of appreciating the
human body and its idealized form.
The sculpture depicted here is the Bodhisattva Manjushri, the deity of
transcendent wisdom, and it was made in the 12th or 13th century and comes from
central Tibet. Manjushri stands in an elegant flexed position known as
or in the Western artistic tradition is related to contrapposto. A sash is tied
around his waist and another one falls across the top of the thighs and both
cascade in pleats along the lobe. Manjushri wears a crown tied along the
hairline and at the center is Vairochana or Buddha of all Buddhas. When I first
saw the Manjushri, I was struck by the interplay between the strength of the
physique and the presence of the face. I am reminded of Donatello's David, not
just in the position of the hip, but also in the soft downward cast gaze of the
eyes, the quiet introspection and contemplative nature of the face, the
tapering of the waist, which points to the youthfulness and sensuality of the
bodies. It is a religious object and was meant to be worshipped. A bodhisattva is
meant to help somebody along their own. It is exceptionally rare to see a standing
bodhisattva from central Tibet, which carries along the tradition of the
Nepali standing bodhisattva, which both shows a lack of gilding and retains the
sprues from casting. The sculpture was created using the lost wax technique.
Essentially in the process of creation, the mold is destroyed, which ultimately
means there are no identical sculptures of this kind. Sotheby's is pleased to be
offering this on behalf of the world-renowned Albright-Knox Museum in
Buffalo, New York. It's a rare opportunity to collect a sculpture of this type with
exceptional provenance coming from the museum.