119. RÉCIPIENT À LIBATION EN FORME DE BHAIRAVA EN TERRE CUITE POLYCHROME NÉPAL, XVE SIÈCLE Himalayan Art Resources item no. 4719 59 cm (23 1/4 in.) high A POLYCHROMED TERRACOTTA BHAIRAVA LIBATION VESSEL NEPAL, 15TH CENTURY 尼泊爾 十五世紀 泥塑彩繪陪臚酒器 During the beloved Indrajatra and Pachali Bhairabjatra festivals that take place every September in the Kathmandu Valley, libation vessels in the form of Bhairava are often displayed in front of temples and private dwellings. Such vessels typically take the form of a Bhairava mask, made of either wood or copper alloy, and a round earthen pot positioned behind the mask. The pot is filled with beer or rice wine and a bamboo pipe protruding through Bhairava's mouth to distribute the drink, an act regarded as prasad, a divine gift, to devotees as a blessing from the god. Occasionally, the pot itself is shaped into the face of Bhairava and painted in various colors, which the present lot exemplifies. Such Bhairava-shaped terracotta vessels retaining their polychrome decorations are extremely rare. The only direct comparison from the period can be found in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (M.88.224.1). For other related wood Bhairava masks, see Bonhams, New York, 19 March 2012, lot 1094, and 13 September 2011, lot 1008. Also compare with a larger mask published in Nies, Spirit of Compassion, 1995, pp. 28-9. Provenance: Private European Collection