A LARGE PARCEL GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF KALACHAKRA QIANLONG MARK AND PERIOD

the four-headed, sixteen-armed figure cast standing in yabyum with his consort over prostrated figures on a lotus base, his principal arms crossed behind her back, his remaining arms radiating around him holding numerous attributes, including two kapala and a vajra, with a seven-character Qianlong mark in a cartouche at the front of the sealed lotus base

This finely cast figure is in very good overall condition with the exception of minor scratches and rubbing to the gilded decoration, minor casting imperfections to the rim of the base, loss to the tips of the flaming head-dress, a 5 x 10mm., socket to the right ankle of the consort (possibly original to casting), loss to the top of the attribute held in the right hand of the detachable torso of the consort and loss of one finger of the same hand, loss to two sections of the tiara on two of the prostrate figures on the base, loss to the tip of the attribute held by Kalachakra in the main right hand, loss to the tip of the attribute held in the top left hand and loss to the tip of the leaves of the flower held in the top right hand.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Kalachakra, also known as the yidam or tutelary god of the 'Wheel of Time' was worshipped in Tibet and Mongolia during Qianlong's reign. He was considered one of the most complex of all the supreme tantra deities. Kalachakra would be called upon in times of crisis and become a protector often assigned to a monastery, family or individual. Individuals, when assigned an yidam such as Kalachakra by a lama during initiation, would carry an image of him with them in a portable shrine. Kalachakra is most commonly represented in his peaceful form, wearing jewels and crowns of a bodhisattva and depicted in an embrace with his female counterpart or shaktis. He has four heads, each with a third eye, and twelve or twenty-four arms holding weapons, vajra and other ritual objects while crushing a demon under his feet.

The Qianlong emperor was a devote Buddhist and a keen follower of Tibetan Lamaist teachings. He had gilt-bronze sculptures of the many deities of the Tibetan Buddhist Pantheon made in the Palace Workshop as gift items to the Tibetan hierarchy or to be placed in the numerous Buddhist shrines built within the Forbidden City compound. For related examples, see a figure of Kalachakra, cast in copper but inscribed with a similar  Qianlong seven-character mark, from the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing, illustrated in Cultural Relics of Tibetan Buddhism Collected in the Qing Palace, Beijing, 1992, p. 221, pl. 69. Another comparable gilt-bronze figure of Kalachakra, attributed to the 18th century, is published in Zhongguo cangfu fojiao jintong zaoxiang yishu, vol. 1, Beijing, 2001, pl. 128.