Exzellente und extrem seltene Bronze des Indra in Gefangenschaft

Lot 8
06.12.2022 09:30UTC +01:00
Classic
Prix de départ
€ 100 000
AuctioneerNagel Auktionen GmbH
Lieu de l'événementAllemagne, Stuttgart
Commission29,5%
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ID 875201
Lot 8 | Exzellente und extrem seltene Bronze des Indra in Gefangenschaft
Valeur estimée
€ 100 000 – 150 000
AN EXTREMELY RARE AND IMPORTANT BRONZE FIGURE OF INDRA IN CAPTIVITY - Nepal, early Malla period, 13th/ early 14th c. - Seated in vajrasana with both arms stretched outwards, fingers finely defined, wearing dhoti secured around his middle with a belt decorated with a central clasp, well-developed naked upper body, bejewelled, his face displaying a serene expression with downcast eyes below arched eyebrows running into his nose-bridge, horizontal eye at his forehead, smiling lips, pierced elongated earlobes set with heavy ear-ornaments, his hair combed in a chignon secured with a high horse-shoe shaped crown cast with a stylized lotus-flower to its front and decorated with a pair of floating ribbons and flower-heads. - From the collection of Gerd-Wolfgang Essen (1930-2007), collected between the 1950s and 1980s The most important identifying feature of Indra is the third eye, horizontal on his forehead, in contrast to the vertical third eye of Shiva. In Nepal, he is always depicted with a distinctive crown studded with gems, while his current gesture of outstretched arms is extraordinary. In keeping with the particular iconography that has developed in the Kathmandu Valley, Indra is depicted here extending his hands away from his body. A magnificent royal commission of such a representation of Indra is displayed annually during the Indra festival at the medieval royal palace of Hanuman-dhoka in Kathamandu. According to a popular Newar story, this unusual iconographic feature of Indra is related to his attempt to steal the flowers of the coral tree (Sankrit, parijata; Newari, parijat) that blooms in the valley but does not grow in the sky. However, these were obligatory for the puja ritual performed every year by the women in heaven, including Indra's mother. At the request of his mother, Indra descended into the valley in disguise to fetch the flowers. The valley dwellers, unaware of his divinity, surrounded the Lord of Heaven and bound his hands and feet with ropes. Indra was released only after his mother promised to provide the valley with the rain that was desperately needed to ripen the crops. Newari are true storytellers. Bhasa Vamsavali, the spoken language chronicle, is full of such stories about Newari deities and festivals. One example is the story of the red Avalokiteshvara and the Kasthamandapa, the famous structure in Kathamandu that collapsed during the 2015 earthquake, that it is common for deities to visit the Kathmandu Valley in disguise, be captured by people, and be released after promising to fulfill the wishes of the Valley's residents. This is quite different from the devotional ritual of puja, where the deity is treated as an all-powerful ruler. The invention of such stories also helped the Newari priests to incorporate Hindu and Buddhist gods and goddesses into their pantheon. The iconography of Indra, in which the god extends both hands, evolved from a cross-like structure that was worshipped by the Newari during the harvest season as a supernatural being, either a deity or a deceased ancestor. Apparently, the cross-shaped structure was seen as Indra. Comparing such representations of Indra with his iconography of the outstretched hand, it is clear that when the cross-shaped structure was imagined, the horizontal bar of the structure became anthropomorphic to Indra's outstretched hand. In both Hindu and Buddhist mythology, Indra is considered the king of the gods. He is the lord of the East, the chief of the guardian kings, the lord of the heaven of the 33 gods, "the one who bestows wealth and power. The Rigveda tells how he slew the serpent Vrita, allowing the world to come into existence. Indra then stabilized the world and supported the sky with the mythical mountain Indrakila. Compare the 13th c. bronze of Indra from the Carter Burden Collection, New York, acquired most likely in the same period as the present lot, in the 1960s, published and sold by Carlton Rochell and Rossi & Rossi, 'Masterpieces of Himalayan Art', 2009, no. 7. Compare a similar dressed copper figure of Indra, dated ca. 14th c., sold at Sotheby's New York, 26.3.2003, lot 35. A much later gilt-copper figure of Indra was sold at Christie's New York, 17.9.1998, lot 51 We would like to thank Dr. Wenhua Luo, Palace Museum Beijing for his excellent essay for that bronze, see pages 44 - 46, Dr. Pratapaditya Pal and Michael Henss for their comments on the classification of this rare bronze
Nepal, frühe Malla-Periode, 13./ frühes 14. Jh.
H. 22,7 cm
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Commission 29,5%
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