A GILT-COPPER SHRINE OF MAHA AKSHOBYA AND CONSORT Nepal, dated by inscription 1784

Himalayan Art Resources item no. 13383.

Butterfields San Francisco, 5 November 2002, lot 220.

Figures, lotus base, throne, and aureole separately cast with repoussé elements. Wear and accretion overall with traces of polychromy at hair of both figures, two lugs at reverse of male figure indicate now missing element. Cracks and old repairs to aureole, stable. Ritual implements now missing from tertiary proper left hand, as evidenced by lug at palm.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The inscription on the reverse reads:

In Nepal samvat 904 (CE 1784), on the twelfth day of the bright half of the Phalgunga month, Chakranasimha Toradhra [Tuladhara] commissioned this image of Maha Akshobhya in the memory of his deceased father Lakshmidhra and mother Lakshmi. May it be auspicious.

Translation by Dr. Gautama A. Vajracharya, Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin, Madison.