A RARE AND INSCRIBED TIBETAN GILT-COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF THE CONFESSION BUDDHA, CANDANASHRI

A RARE AND INSCRIBED TIBETAN GILT-COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF THE CONFESSION BUDDHA, CANDANASHRI
C.17TH CENTURY

Seated on a cushion in vajraparyankasana with his right hand in bhumisparsa mudra and his left hand in the meditative pose, his face with a hooked nose and pendulous earlobes, his hair in tight curls rising to a ushnisha, inscribed to the reverse Tsan-dan-dpal 9, 5.2kg, 24.6cm.

Formerly the property of Sir Gerard Leslie Makins Clauson (1891- 1974), English civil servant, businessman, and Orientalist best known for his studies of the Turkic languages. Clauson studied and published on Chinese Buddhist texts written in Tibetan script, co-authoring various editions and translations. In 1912, Clauson had joined the Royal Asiatic Society, of which he was to remain an active and committed member until his death in May 1974. Clauson served as both President and Director, and in the year before his death was presented with a special commemorative gold medal by the Queen for his services to the society.

This bronze image is closely related to three other sculptures from Confession Buddha sets of almost identical size. These include a figure of Shuradatta at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, accession number M.75.4.21, illustrated in Pratapaditya Pal, Art of Nepal, p.117, no.S38; a figure of Suvikranta sold at Sotheby's New York, 16th March 2016, lot 726; and a third Confession Buddha sold at Sotheby's New York, 24th September 1997, lot 94, all with identifying Tibetan inscriptions at the back of their cushions, as seen on the lot offered here. Their robes are also rendered in almost identical fashion, especially the densely striped hem on top of a plain one, as well as the naturalistic fan-shaped pleats gathered in front of their legs. Compare also with another very similar figure depicting Maitreya, although not inscribed, sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 2nd December 2021, lot 1006.

The figure recalls the early Nepalese style of the Licchavi period (400-750 CE), with its hooked nose and protruding lips, as well as the low curved platform base. See David Weldon & Jane Casey Singer, The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet, Buddhist Art in the Nyingjei Lam Collection, p. 120, for a further discussion of a similar figure and the influence of the Liccahvi period. Another feature of note is the base plate, engraved with a visvavajra and cold painted with gilt. When discussing a group of 'Tashilima' bronzes formerly in the Getty Collection, Luo Wenhua concluded that the type of base plate engraved with a visvavajra and cold painted with gold is indicative of either Tibetan bronzes made in Tashikitsel (the workshop of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery) or Khalkha Mongolian bronzes (see Luo, 'Tashi Lhunpo Statuary: Karma and Mt Meru', in Bonhams Hong Kong, Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 26th November 2019).

十七世紀 銅鎏金功德佛像
來源：傑拉德・萊斯利・馬金斯・克勞森爵士（Sir Gerard Leslie Makins Clauson，1891–1974）舊藏。克勞森為英國公務員、商人及東方學家，以其對突厥語族語言的研究而聞名。他曾研究並發表以藏文書寫的中國佛教文獻，並參與多種版本的整理與翻譯工作。1912年，克勞森加入英國皇家亞洲學會，並一直是該學會積極且忠誠的成員，直至1974年5月逝世。。逝世前一年他曾先後擔任學會會長及理事，因其對學會的卓越貢獻，獲女王頒授特別紀念金質獎章。