A GOLD, COPPER, AND SILVER INLAID COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF KUNZANG AKOR


TIBET, CIRCA 13TH CENTURYHimalayan Art Resources item no.61935 6 in. (15.2 cm) high
|西藏 約十三世紀 錯金錯銀錯紅銅貢桑阿闊銅像 This handsome bronze depicts the Bon deity Kunzang Akor. Two stylized lotus stems frame his robust figure, flowering a vase and Bon's yungdrung symbol by his shoulders. These attributes serve to identify Kunzang Akor, as well as the raised Tibetan letter "A" appearing on his chest. Kunzang Akor is the important meditational form of Shenlha Okar, one of Bon's Four Transcendent Lords. Stylistically the present work belongs to a group of Tibetan sculptures, mostly depicting Buddhist deities, made during the 13th and 14th centuries. A bronze Shadakshari sold at Bonhams, Hong Kong, 3 October 2017, lot 18 represents another. Works from this group feature plump lotus petals, commanding figures, large circular earrings, bridged crown leaves, and bands of inlaid copper or silver decorating necklaces or hemlines. The present figure's jewelry is particularly intricate. His necklace alone is inlaid with gold, silver and copper, and further incised with geometric patterns. Copper and silver inlay are also applied to his arm bands, bracelets, and hemlines. Compare another bronze image of Kunzang Akor from the same period (HAR 30578).