A Parcel-Gilt-Silver Figure of A Dakini | Tibet, 15th – 16th Century

Project Description

Description: Figure 10.9 cm high, associated gilt-bronze base 17.5 cm high
Catalogue note: The present figure, despite its small size, is finely cast in silver, with crisp details in the garland of skulls, jewellery, facial features, and the hair and crown. Certain details, such as the beaded jewellery, implements, crown, and the billowing sash are gilded, resulting in an exquisite contrasting effect, amplified by the inclusion of semi-precious stones.Stylistically, the present figure can be compared with a gilt-silver figure of Vajrapani, formerly in the Pan-Asian Collection, and first illustrated by Pratapaditya Pal in The Sensuous Immortals, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1977, p. 187, no. 113; both figures are cast in silver, but are gilded on the jewellery, crown, and drapery. The sharply incised facial features of both figures, with furrowed brows and nose and agape mouth, are also remarkably similar. Without their bases, the two figures are also approximately the same size. The Pan-Asian example retains a compressed double-lotus base consistent with fifteenth-sixteenth century Tibetan sculpture. The rich gilding, flame motif in the aureole, and trampled figures, suggest the base may be later associated. Himalayan Art Resources (himalayanart.org), item no. 24504.
Provenance: Acquired from Christie’s, Sale 17347, Lot 670, Invoice no. DB19005296. Acquired in the Hong Kong art market, 1995
Catalogue no.: 2019A0191