A RARE KHMER BRONZE FIGURE OF HEVAJRA

12th - 13th Century

十二至十三世紀 高棉銅喜金剛像

The figure modelled standing in ardhaparyanka asana with sixteen slender arms radiating around his body and holding small objects in his hands, wearing a sampot secured by a studded belt and issuing a long fish-tail shaped flange that falls between the legs, with a bejewelled necklace around his neck, his head comprised of nine faces, each with almond-shaped eyes, broad noses and curved mouths, wearing studded headpieces with lozenge-shaped pendents, the elongated earlobes set with long earrings, raised on a metal stand,

23cm high, approx. 1.094kg

(2)

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PROVENANCE:

A Private Collection of Himalayan, Indian and Southeast Asian Works of Art, William Doyle, New York, 19 March 1997;

Collection of Nik Douglas (1944-2012), thence by descent;

English Private Collection

來源：

喜馬拉雅、印度和東南亞藝術品私人收藏，William Doyle，紐約，1997 年 3 月 19 日；

Nik Douglas (1944-2012)私人收藏，此後家族傳承；

英國私人收藏

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Nik Douglas was a curator and collector of Asian art, who authored books such as 'Sexual Secrets, Erotic Sentiment: In the Paintings of China and Japan', 'The Secret Dakini Oracle', and 'Spiritual Sex and The Path of the Mystic Lover'.

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c.f. A similar figure, although slightly-earlier and dated 11th century, is housed in the collection of the National Museum of Cambodia, inventory numbers Ga.5331 / E.329 / E/I 13.1 / ក1.15.5. This figures has a similar patina with traces of gilding, comparable with the present lot.

A comparable figure, dated to the 11th/12th century, was sold at Christie's New York, 21st March 2001, lot 176. A related gilt-bronze figure, from the Baphuon period in the 11th century, was sold at Christie's Amsterdam, 10th December 2002, lot 163, and another 13th century gilt-bronze example at the same rooms, 3rd November 1998, lot 152.

Note: The present lot signifies how the cult of Hevajra flourished in the Khmer Empire between the tenth and thirteenth centuries. The Tantric school believed that with serious application and guidance of a religious teacher one could achieve enlightenment in their life. Using meditation as the primary exercise, the practitioners would focus their mental energy on Hevajra, the chief deity of the Tantric (Vajrayana) Buddhist path, thereby transferring to themselves the characteristics of the deity.

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