A COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF MANJUSHRI


WESTERN TIBET, KASHMIR STYLE, 11TH/12TH CENTURYHimalayan Art Resources item no.61912 6 in. (15.2 cm) high
|藏西 克什米爾風格 十一/十二世紀 文殊菩薩銅像 This handsome figure of Manjushri is an example of early Western Tibetan sculpture borrowing the artistic style of Kashmir. As noted by Pal, it is known that Kashmiri artists were physically present in Western Tibetan monasteries during the 11th and 12th centuries (see Pal, Bronzes of Kashmir, New York, 1975, p.241). Given its geographical proximity, the art of northwestern India had a more immediate influence on the evolution of early Western Tibetan style than Pala art. While the three-leaf crown and the treatment of his pectoral muscles are reminiscent of Kashmiri bronzes, his face has significantly deviated from the Kashmiri chubbiness. Also, the folds of his lower garment are rendered with incised lines, rather than raised patterns. Compare this figure's torso, crown, incised dhoti, and vajra-tipped sword to a seated figure of Manjushri published in von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, Hong Kong, 2001, pp.172-3, no.50D. Provenance Private Asian Collection, acquired in Hong Kong, 1990