A TIBETAN GILT-COPPER FIGURE OF YAMANTAKA

£1,000 - £2,000 £10,080

A TIBETAN GILT-COPPER FIGURE OF YAMANTAKA
16TH CENTURY

The buffalo-headed deity standing in pratyalidhasana on the back of a recumbent bull over a lotus throne, holding an S-shaped sword and a lasso, his face with bulging eyes, a third eye, flared nostrils and bared fangs, 199g, 10.5cm.

Provenance: from the collection of Mr Nicholas Squire (1949-2024), Suffolk, England.

Cf. The Cincinnati Art Museum, accession no.2015.247, for a gilt-bronze figure of Yama dated c.1700.

Yamāntaka, the Conqueror of Death in Vajrayana Buddhism, is a wrathful manifestation of the bodhisattva Manjushri. In this fierce form, he defeats Yama, the God of Death, symbolising the end of samsara (the cycle of rebirth) that obstructs enlightenment. Yamāntaka overpowers Yama with a form even more terrifying, reflecting and surpassing his horrifying appearance. Sharing traits with Mahakala, Yamāntaka is distinguished by his blue skin and often depicted seated on a white ox.

十六世紀銅鎏金大威德金剛像
來源: 英國薩福克郡Nicholas Squire先生（1949-2024）收藏。