NEPAL, DATED 1819 AD

Details

A Gilt Bronze Figure of Maha Akshobhya
Nepal, dated 1819 AD
Finely cast, seated on a lotus base with beaded rim, the eight-armed Bodhisattva wielding the sword, vajra, bell and numerous other attributes while supporting his consort Lochana on his knee, wearing a flowing dhoti, jewelry, ornaments and an elaborate foliate tiara, his helmet-like chignon terminating in a vajra, surrounded from behind by a flaming aureole, with a waisted rectangular plinth with addorsed openwork elephants and lotus scroll base, the reverse with an eight-line Newari inscription
8 in. (20.3 cm.) high

Lot Essay

The inscription on the reverse of this sculpture identifies the Buddha as Maha Aksobhya with a samvat date of 939 (AD 1819). The work is dedicated in the name of a Shakya man from Saca Bahi in either Kathmandu or Patan, and describes the various rituals that should be performed annually in connection with this donation. A similar figure is in the collection of the Museum der Kulturen, Basel, Switzerland (IId 13916); see J.C. Huntington and D. Bandel, Circle of Bliss, 2003, p. 430, fig. 133.

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