A black stone stele of Vaishravana

TIBET, 14TH CENTURY

Details

A black stone stele of Vaishravana
Tibet, 14th Century
Seated on a lion holding a parasol in his left hand and a jewel-spewing mongoose in his right, dressed in heavy robes with a girdle secured above his rotund belly, the face with bulging eyes and prominent brow surmounted by a foliate tiara supporting a diminutive image of Vajrapani, flanked by his retinue of horsemen, with three deities and a lama above and a register of deities below
12 in. (30.5 cm.) high

Provenance

Private collection, Europe, acquired in New York, 27 November 1991

Literature

Rossi & Rossi, Gods and Demons of the Himalayas, 2012, p. 66, cat. no. 25
Himalayan Art Resources (himalayanart.org), item no. 58598

Exhibited

Gods and Demons of the Himalayas, Fine Art Asia, Hong Kong, 4 - 7 October, 2012; Rossi & Rossi, London, 1 - 10 November, 2012, cat. no. 25

Lot Essay

This work is sensitively and carefully carved in great detail. Originally the stone was cut away between the central figure and the arch, revealing his silhouette. Over time, consecrations have been stuffed into the void, giving the appearance of a relief sculpture when in actuality he is carved nearly in the round. Vaishravana is the chief of the Four Great Kings who swore an oath to protect the Buddha Shakyamuni. In this work, because of his protective duties, he and his retinue are shown wearing traditional Tibetan armor. He is also considered a god of fortune, and the mongoose spewing jewels from its mouth is adapted from the iconography of the Indian wealth deity Kubera. Worshipped in all orders of Tibetan Buddhism, the form of Vaishravana on his lion was made popular by the 11th-century religious teacher, Atisha.

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