A TIBETAN GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF VAISHRAVANA

A TIBETAN GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF VAISHRAVANA
18TH CENTURY

The God of Wealth seated in lalitasana upon a recumbent Buddhist lion, adorned with elaborate armour and a headdress, with his left hand holding a jewel-spewing mongoose, all raised on a lotus base, 461g, 9cm.

Provenance: from the collection of Mr Nicholas Squire (1949-2024), Suffolk, England, purchased from Deborah Ashencaen & Gennady Leonov, The Himalayan Art Gallery on 8th October 2002, a copy of the invoice is available.

Cf. A closely related example was sold in these rooms, 12th November 2024, lot 60; see also Christie's New York, 23rd March 2022, lot 435, for a larger 18th century example.

Vaishravana, one of the Four Guardian Kings, is associated with the North and resembles the Hindu deity Kubera. As a Buddhist God of Wealth, he does not promote luxury but helps devotees rise above subsistence, enabling them to focus on spiritual growth.

十八世紀 銅鎏金財寶天王俱毗羅像
來源: 英國薩福克郡Nicholas Squire先生（1949-2024）收藏, 2002年10月8日購於Deborah Ashencaen and Gennady Leonov 喜馬拉雅藝術藝廊 （附發票複印件）。