A fine and rare gilt-copper Densatil-style 'four dancers' frieze


15th century The rectangular frieze heavily yet elegantly cast in high relief with four goddesses dancing on a single-lotus pedestal with a beaded rim, each figure with a serene expression standing with her right leg crossed over her left and head tilted to the left, holding musical instruments and ritual ornaments in four arms, all surmounted by tiaras and wearing long dhotis with a jewelled sash, adorned with large disc earrings and necklaces inlaid with various semi-precious stones, wood stand. 37cm (14 1/2in) wide (3).
|The Property of a Gentleman 紳士藏品十五世紀 西藏丹薩替風格 銅鎏金供養天女飾板Provenance: Stephen K.C. Lo, P.C. Lu Works of Art Ltd., Hong Kong, 28 November 1995Jean-Yves Ollivier Collection來源：香港古董商魯氏有限公司，1995年11月28日歐宗易先生珍藏The Kagyu monastic complex in Densatil, southeast of Lhasa, was founded in 1108, after the spiritual teacher Pagmodrupa Dorje Gyalpo travelled to the area near the Northern banks of the Tsangpo river. Pupils gathered at his side to form a simple monastery originally of grass huts, but after his death in 1170 the monastic complex was enlarged and a temple built. From the mid 14th century, Densatil was ruled by the Phagmogrupa family, one of the most powerful ruling families of the time in Tibet. The family sought to extend its influence with a series of high-level gift exchanges with the Chinese emperors, and eventually they came to rule almost all of Tibet. Their wealth and influence is demonstrated by the astonishingly high quality of art produced under their patronage. The Densatil monastery became one of the richest in Tibet, and was renowned in particular for its metalwork and paintings by Newar artists from Nepal.Evidence of the artistic importance and influence of Densatil can be seen in the records of the Italian traveller Giuseppe Tucci following his visit in 1948, and in the black and white photographs taken by the Italian photographer Pietro Francesco Mele who accompanied Tucci on the 1948 expedition; see P.Mele, Tibet, Calcutta, 1975.Friezes such as the present lot would once have decorated the base of a stupa at Densatil, where eighteen large funerary reliquaries contained the mortal remains of the religious and political leaders of the Phagmogrupa. These friezes can now be found scattered in museum collections around the globe, including in the Musée Guimet and the Dallas Museum of Art. A similar frieze with four dancing maidens from the collection of Mr and Mrs John I.Eastman was included in the exhibition and illustrated in the catalogue by M.Rhie and R.Thurman, Wisdom and Compassion: The Sacred Art of Tibet, New York, 2000, no.240. See also a frieze from the collection of Philip Goldman, London, illustrated by von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, p.430, pl.113G. Compare with a similar Densatil frieze with four dancers, 14th/15th century, which was sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 27 May 2012, lot 281. Another similar Densatil frieze, 14th/15th century, was sold at Bonhams London, 8 November 2012, lot 260.整體錘揲而成，再鏨刻細部，天女開臉微露笑意，髮髻高聳，上戴寶冠，嵌以寶石，耳戴餅形吊飾，頸部戴瓔珞，上臂戴臂圈，皆鑲雜寶，四臂或舉或垂，各持法器，裙衫搖曳，如聞法鼓而起。位於拉薩東南方的噶舉派丹薩替寺，始建於公元1108年。相傳帕摩竹巴上師遊歷至雅魯藏布江北岸，並於此處創建該寺。寺廟最初只是一間簡陋草廬，為簇擁上師講道的僧眾善信們遮風擋雨；但直至上師於1170年圓寂後，寺廟方逐漸擴張，成就今日所見的規模。自十四世紀中葉起，丹薩替寺附近地區由當時西藏最具影響力的帕木竹巴家族統治。為拓展其影響力，帕木竹巴政權與中土朝廷建立朝貢關係，隨後更幾乎統治西藏全境。而丹薩替寺於帕木竹巴政權庇蔭下香火鼎盛，並累積大量財富；留駐在寺廟的尼泊爾內瓦爾工匠所製造的金屬法器以及繪畫唐卡更是以別緻著稱，聞名遐邇。丹撒替寺的藝術成就可見於意大利探險家朱塞佩·圖齊（Giuseppe Tucci）於1948年探訪的記錄，以及隨行攝影師比亞杜．法蘭西斯高．比利所攝的黑白照片，詳見P.Mele著，《Tibet（西藏）》，加爾各答，1975年。此件飾板原應鑲嵌於丹撒替寺內的佛塔基座之上，塔內則放置十八個存有摩竹巴上師的舍利，以作供奉。如今，類似飾板可見於世界各大博物館收藏，當中包括巴黎吉美博物館以及美國達拉斯藝術博物館。伊斯特夢（I. Eastman）伉儷亦藏有一例，並曾於紐約出展，載於M.Rhie及R.Thurman著，《Wisdom and Compassion: The Sacred Art of Tibet（智慧與慈悲：西藏的神聖藝術）》，紐約，2000年，編號240。另外一例，由飛利浦．戈德曼（Philip Goldman）所藏，載於馮．施羅德（von Schroeder）著，《Indo-Tibetan Bronzes（印藏銅像）》，香港，1981年，頁430，圖113G。香港邦瀚斯曾於2012年5月27日拍賣一件類似的十四/十五世紀，西藏丹薩替寺銅鎏金四供養天女飾板，拍品281號。另一件類似的十四/十五世紀銅鎏金飾板則於倫敦邦瀚斯拍賣，拍品260號。