STATUETTE DE VAJRAVIDARANA EN ALLIAGE DE CUIVRE DORÉ DENSATIL, TIBET CENTRAL, XIVE SIÈCLE Himalayan Art Resources item no. 4609 26.8 cm (10 1/2 in.) high Footnotes: A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF VAJRAVIDARANA DENSATIL, CENTRAL TIBET, 14TH CENTURY 丹薩替 藏中 十四世紀 銅鎏金摧破金剛像 Provenance: With Claude de Marteau, Brussels, by 1970s This imposing figure represents the Green aspect of Vajravidarana, one of the five Cleansing Deities invoked for their ability to purify practitioners of their inner misdeeds and rid them of any diseases. In addition to his semi-wrathful form, he is identified by the ritual bell (ghanta) resting at his hip, and more specifically, the double vajra (vishvavajra) held up to his chest. Apart from being one of the rarest subjects portrayed in Tibetan Buddhist sculpture, Vajravidarana's rich gilding and lavish composition illustrate the unique style of bronzes originating from the Densatil monastery in Central Tibet. The mountain hermitage where Densatil was built was founded by the Kagyu teacher Dorje Gyalpo (1110-1170), whose nickname, Phagmo Drupa (meaning the one from the sow's ferry crossing), references his place of meditation overlooking the Tsangpo River Valley. Born in poverty, Dorje Gyalpo's captivating personality and rejection of personal indulgences attracted a large congregation of followers. Eight of his disciples, who branched off to establish lineage schools of their own after his death, reconvened years later to construct a monastery in the original location of their late master's straw hut. The design for Densatil's famed tashi gomang stupas, which were tall structures covered in gilt bronze sculptures like the present lot, was initially conceived to house Dorje Gyalpo's consecrated remains on top. Sculptures attributed to Densatil are generally characterized by vast arrays of encrusted semi-precious stones and sensuous features created by Newari craftsmen. In accordance with the latter preference, the artist achieves a powerful yet sensitive modelling of Vajravidarana, conveyed through furrowed eyebrows juxtaposed with a gentle sway of the hips. The intense glare expressed by his bulging eyes is similar to an image of Mahasiddha Jalandhara in the Ford Collection (Linrothe, Holy Madness, 2006, p. 333, no. 67), as well as a semi-wrathful image of Vasudhara sold at Christie's, New York, 21 March 2008, lot 621. Much like the present work, each sculpture comprises a figure sporting a sumptuous lower garment incised with floral patterns divided by raised beaded lines. Furthermore, the particular treatment of the plump lotus petals with frayed tips, rendered here as narrowly incised notches, is not only congruent with both comparisons, but also an image of Vairocana sold at Bonhams, Hong Kong, 7 October 2019, lot 933. The symmetrically looped scarf snaking around Vajravidarana's arms also compares with a four-armed goddess from the Tibet Museum in Lhasa (identified as Prajnaparamita), published in Henss, The Cultural Monuments of Tibet vol. 1, 2014, p. 415, no. 633). For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com