A PARCEL GILT BRASS AND COPPER ALLOY VAJRA AND GHANTA
GHANTA: MING DYNASTY, EARLY 15TH CENTURY VAJRA: TIBET, CIRCA 16TH CENTURY With an accompanying carry case.Himalayan Art Resources item no.16876 Ghanta: 19.7 cm (7 3/4 in.) high;Vajra: 15 cm (5 7/8 in.) long
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局部鎏金銅質金剛杵與金剛鈴 金剛鈴:明 十五世紀早期 金剛杵:西藏 約十六世紀 The vajra and ghanta are fundamental ritual implements in Tantric Buddhism. The vajra symbolizes Compassion, while the ghanta symbolizes Wisdom—the perfected union of these ideals results in Buddhahood. The implements are often used in rituals together, with the vajra held in the practitioner's right hand and the ghanta in his or her left. While the style of lotus petals differs between this vajra and ghanta, indicating they were not produced as a set, the old, custom-fitted case suggests that they were nonetheless paired in antiquity. The ghanta is of exceptional quality, and stylistically consistent with imperial examples created during the Yongle (1402-24) and Xuande (1425-35) reigns. The bodhisattva face is superbly cast with crisp eyes, brow, and fringe underneath the five-leafed crown. The lotus petals above have three scrolls at each tip, which are in the Early Ming style. The makara heads at the base of each prong are quite unusual and superlative, having curled snouts in high-relief that are set on the outside rather than more commonly on the inside. A Yongle mark and period vajra with almost identical lotus petals, makara heads, and prongs was sold at Council Auction, Shanghai, 5 August 2020, lot 465. Also see a Yongle mark and period vajra and ghanta set in the Palace Museum, Beijing (Cultural Relics of Tibetan Buddhism, Hong Kong, 1992, pl.131-1). In contrast to the ghanta, the present vajra has a more simplified treatment of its prongs; the makara heads are replaced with short lotus petals. While this abbreviated form was also employed during the Yongle reign (see an example published in Bigler, Art and Faith at the Crossroads, Zurich, 2013, pp.106-7, no.42), the present vajra was likely created in Tibet rather than China, and at a slightly later date, as suggested by its more elongated lotus petals. A good point of comparison is a vajra sold at Bonhams, New York, 14 September 2015, lot 53. For related sets and further discussion, see Henss, Buddhist Ritual Art of Tibet, Stuttgart, 2020, pp.43-6, figs.33-7. Also see a few Xuande examples in the Palace Museum Collection, Beijing (Cultural Relics of Tibetan Buddhism Collected in the Qing Palace, Hong Kong, 1992, nos. 132-1, 132-2, 132-3); a boxed set sold at Christie's, New York, 27 March 2003, lot 138; and a nine-pronged Xuande set sold at Sotheby's, New York, 20 March 2013, lot 258. Exhibited Rituels tibétains: Visions secrètes du Vème Dala? Lama (1617 – 1682), Musée Guimet, Paris, 6 November 2002-24 February 2003. Published Nathalie Bazin et al., Rituels tibétains: Visions secrètes du Vème Dala? Lama (1617 – 1682), Paris, 2002, p.136, no.88. Provenance Robert Burawoy, Paris, acquired 1983-85 Private European Collection