A hardstone-inlaid copper alloy figure of Padmapani, Nepal, 14th / 15th century

Acquired in 1968/9.

A Collector’s Passion: South Asian Selections from the Nalin Collection, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 2009.

Melissa R. Kerin, Selections from the David R. Nalin Himalayan Art Collection, New York, 2009, pl. 10.

The Malla period marked a significant era in the development of Nepalese art. One of the most popular deities was Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion in the form of Padmapani, the lotus bearer, here depicted with elegant proportions of the body, accentuated by marked pectoral muscles, slender waist and a modelled torso. The bodhisattva is depicted with a serene expression, wearing a dhoti with pleated folds falling between the legs. Another 14th century Nepalese bronze figure of Padmapani, in similar standing posture, from the Carter Burden Collection, sold twice in these rooms, 27th March 1991, lot 101, and again, 20th March 2013, lot 205.