A large polychrome wood figure of Kalachakra, Nepal, 16th / 17th century | 尼泊爾 十六 / 十七世紀 木加彩時輪金剛立像

Isidor and Elly Kahane Collection, New York and Zurich, by 1968, and thence by descent in the family.

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Kahane伉儷收藏，紐約及蘇黎世，至1968年，此後家族傳承

This large and powerfully carved sculpture depicts the Buddhist deity Kalachakra, with the semi-wrathful deity depicted in union with his prajña Vishvamata, Mother of the Universe. The deities represent one of the most complex practices of the Unexcelled Yoga Tantras in Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism. The Kālachakra tradition revolves around the concept of time (kāla) and cycles (chakra), teaching the practice of working with the most subtle energies within one's body on the path to enlightenment. Kalachakra is depicted here with four heads and twenty-four arms, with his principal head and upper body symbolising great wisdom, his face representing passion. The couple represent the embodiment of wisdom and compassion, the goal of Tibetan meditational practice leading to enlightenment and salvation of sentient beings. For an indepth analysis of the Kalachakra Tantra, see Martin Brauen, The Mandala: Sacred Circle in Tibetan Buddhism, Serindia Publications, London, 1997.

The Kalachakra Tantra originated in India around the 10th century and was transmitted to Tibet in the early 11th century. By the 14th century, its practices had taken deep root in Nepal, particularly among the Newar Buddhist communities of the Kathmandu Valley, who played a key role in the cross-cultural transmission of tantric knowledge between India and Tibet. The Malla period (c. 1200–1769), during which this work was created, was a golden age of religious art and architecture, with the valley’s principal cities—Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur—becoming thriving centers of Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhist practice.

This sculpture would have served not merely as an object of devotion but as a visual aid for advanced meditative rituals conducted by initiates of the Kalachakra mandala. The finely carved aureole (torana), lotus pedestal, and richly adorned bodies of both deities are hallmarks of Newar craftsmanship, while the vivid remnants of polychromy and gilding reflect the use of this image in active ritual contexts. The fierce aspect of the deity, trampling subdued figures, underscores the annihilation of ignorance and the transcendence of duality—core goals of tantric realization.

Comparable examples—particularly of this scale and iconographic complexity—are rare. Stone figures of Kalachakra are recorded, including one illustrated in Ulrich von Schroeder, Nepalese Stone Sculpture, Weesen, 2019, Vol. II, no. 376C. The earliest published figure of Kalachakra in bronze, possibly created by Newar artisans, appears to be the Tibetan 14th century gilt-bronze figure of Kalachakra and Vishvamata kept at Shalu monastery, illustrated in Ulrich von Schroeder, Buddhist Bronzes in Tibet, Hong Kong, 2001, Vol. II, p. 965, pl. 232C. 

本尊造像體量宏大，雕刻精湛，呈現半忿怒形貌之時輪金剛與其智慧明妃——宇宙母結雙身相。此二尊象徵藏傳金剛乘無上瑜伽續中最為複雜而高深之修行法門。時輪金剛之密續思想以「迦羅」（kāla）與「輪」（chakra）為核心，透過調御體內最微細之能量，導引修行者邁向覺悟之道。

本尊具四面二十四臂，其上首與軀幹象徵大智，面部則顯示欲界之熱情，雙尊結合代表般若與慈悲之圓融——即藏傳密宗修行之究竟目標：證得菩提，利益有情。關於時輪金剛密續之詳盡探討，參見 Martin Brauen 著，《The Mandala: Sacred Circle in Tibetan Buddhism》，倫敦，1997年。

時輪金剛密續約於十世紀起源於印度，十一世紀初傳入西藏。至十四世紀，其修持體系已在尼泊爾落地生根，尤以加德滿都谷地之尼瓦爾佛教社群為盛。此區作為印度與西藏間密教知識之橋樑，其藝術與實踐於馬拉王朝時期（約1200–1769年）達至高峰，宗教藝術與建築繁盛，首都加德滿都、帕坦與巴克塔普爾均為大乘與金剛乘佛教之重鎮。

本像不僅為供奉神像，亦為灌頂弟子於時輪曼荼羅修持儀軌時之觀想依止。其背光、蓮花寶座與尊體華麗飾件，皆展現尼瓦爾工藝之典型特徵；其彩繪與鎏金之殘留痕跡，亦顯示本像曾長期用於實際法事儀軌之中。神像踐踏煩惱形象之姿，象徵摧破無明與超越二元對立，為密法修證之要旨。

具此等規模與圖像複雜度之時輪金剛雕像傳世極罕。石雕作品可參考一例，著錄於 Ulrich von Schroeder，《Nepalese Stone Sculpture》，Weesen，2019年，卷二，編號376C。最早一尊鎏金銅時輪金剛與宇宙母像，或由尼瓦爾工匠製作，見十四世紀西藏夏魯寺藏一例鎏金銅像，著錄於 Ulrich von Schroeder，《Buddhist Bronzes in Tibet》，香港，2001年，卷二，頁965，圖版232C。