A RARE GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF KAPALADHARA HEVAJRA MING DYNASTY, 15TH CENTURY

the figure locked in union with his consort, Nairatmya, his head with eight faces and body with eight pairs of arms and two pairs of legs, the principal hands crossed behind his consort in pajnalinganabhinayamudra holding kapalas containing an elephant and a seated figure in prayer, the remaining hands holding kapalas containing effigies of animals and seated monks in prayer, with Nairatmya holding a kartrika and kapala, both standing on two Maras on a double-lotus base

This rare bronze is in reasonably good condition, but one of the hanging pendants is missing to the front right side of the figure, another to the end of the very central one and another two off his lower right leg. There is also slight damage to one pendant half way down to the back left side of the figure and there are cracks running through two other pendants next to this. There is a slight loss to one of the pendants on the back right face of Hevajra. There is a missing pendant to the crown and a crack running through the left index finger of one Mara and there is also one pendant missing and crack running through the right hand of the other. It is possible that the elephant standing on a kepala at the front right side is a later replacement. There is some areas of minor gilt loss, nicks and scratches to hands, arms, legs and the base. The base plate is missing.
"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."

The contents of the skull cups held in each of Hevajra’s sixteen hands symbolise the Yidam’s universal dominion. Animals resting in the kapalas in his right hands, a vyala, cat, deity in prayer, dromedary, horse, ox and ass, represent the Guardians of the Eight Directions. The kapalas in the left hands contain kneeling figures depicting Yama, Vaishravana, Fire, Air, Water, Earth, the Sun and the Moon, all with hands in anjali mudra and unusually wearing caps resembling the distinctive black hat of the Karmapas; possibly suggesting an affiliation of the bronze with the Kagyu order of Tibetan Buddhism that was influential at court in the early Ming dynasty. The Hevajra is cast in a style that closely follows imperial Yongle prototypes such as the Speelman Kapaladhara Hevajra, Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 7th October 2006, lot 814. The format remains the same while aprons have become heavier and more pronounced, the deities more sturdy, and the lotus petals of the pedestal have widened slightly from the slim Yongle prototype. A double lotus base becomes common throughout the corpus of post-Yongle bronzes representing Hevajra after the style of other Yongle works such as the Speelman Vajrabhairava, ibid, lot 812. Compare the thickset figure and lotus petal style of a gilt bronze depicting Vajradhara in the Beijing Capitol Museum that is dated by inscription to 1436, see Selected Works on Ancient Buddhist Statues, Beijing, 2005, fig. 58, and Michael Henss, Buddhist Art in Tibet, Ulm, 2008, p. 214, fig. 36.

The fan of Hevajra’s arms forms a perfect arc around the deeply engaged couple as they lunge to the right in alidha posture. Both deities are naked save for their crowns, human bone jewellery and aprons. Faces are imbued with intensity while the parted lips are said to be emitting the reverberating cosmic sound HUM. Nairatmya, “Without Self”, folds her left arm around the neck of her consort and thrusts out her right hand holding the vajrakartrika flaying knife. Kapaladhara Hevajra is described in the medieval eastern Indian treatise Hevajra Tantra, masterfully interpreted in this rare early Ming gilt bronze: “… black am I and terrible … but my inner nature is tranquil, and holding Nairatmya in loving embrace, I am possessed of tranquil bliss …”, see Rob Linrothe, Ruthless Compassion, London, 1999, pp 268-9 for a full discussion of the iconography and Indian origin of Hevajra.