A gilt-copper figure of Amoghapasha Nepal, Early Malla period, 15th century 5 ¾ in. (4.6 cm.) high Provenance: Collection of Leo D. Arons, Princeton, New Jersey. Acquired from Lester & Robert Slatoff, New Jersey, 4 October 1972. Published: Himalayan Art Resources, item no. 41061.
Amoghapasha or ‘Unfailing Lasso’ is a tantric form of Avalokiteshvara which is particularly popular in Nepal, where he is regarded as the tutelary deity of the Kathmandu Valley. His name refers to the power of his empathy and his ability to assist practitioners in achieving a higher level of consciousness though boundless compassion. The present figure is representative of his standard iconography. The bodhisattva stands in a slightly flexed pose, his eight radiating arms holding a sutra, trident, lotus, kundika, lasso, and rosary. He displays the gestures of charity and teaching with his primary hands. His broad face is surmounted by a tall crown secreting a diminutive effigy of Buddha Amitabha nestled in his chignon. A fourteenth-fifteenth-century gilt-copper figure of Amoghapasha from the Alsdorf collection sold at Christie’s New York, 24 September 2020, lot 944, is strikingly similar and worthy of comparison. See the identical stylization of the crown and ornamentation throughout as well as the execution of each hand-held implement. The present figure, however, differs in its litheness; the anonymous artist behind this small yet magnificent bronze captured subtle curves in the figure’s posture and musculature that are missing from the Alsdorf example. Moreover, the artist chose to elaborate upon nonessential details such as the intricate folds of the dhoti which fall beside the figure’s muscular legs and add a heightened sense of movement and life to the sculpture.
Comparable Work A gilt-copper figure of Amoghapasha Lokeshvara Nepal, Malla Period, 14th-15th century Bronze 7 1/8 in. (18.1 cm.) high Provenance: Andrew Rogers, Hong Kong, 19 February 1979. The James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, Chicago.
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