NEPAL, 18TH CENTURY

This unusual form of Manjushri is a Nepalese invention based on iconographies arising from Manjushri-Namasamgiti Sutra. Created in the Kathmandu Valley on the cusp of the eighteenth century, this finely-modeled Bodhisattva has four arms and sits atop an open-work lotus pedestal. The slim proportions of the body, a slight bend, well-articulated arms, torso, and the slightly large and inclined head convey the impressions of youthfulness. In his upper right hand, he raises a sword, signifying the cutting through of ignorance. In its opposite hand is a book, symbolizing the Buddha’s teachings and transcendental wisdom. His lower left is joined with his lower right hand in front of his chest forming the dharmachakramudra, the gesture of elucidation. The scrolling motif of the halo and the articulate rendering of the face are characteristic of Nepalese aesthetic conventions. Compare the stylized nimbus and the overall proportions of the present work with another gilt-bronze figure of Manjushri sold at Christies New York, 21 March 2011, lot 429.