11th Oct, 2025 10:00

Auction 24

 
Lot 17
 
Lot 17 - A SEATED BRONZE GILT JAMBHALA TIBET 13TH CENTURY STYLE BUT LATER

17

A SEATED BRONZE GILT JAMBHALA TIBET 13TH CENTURY STYLE BUT LATER

Dimensions: Height: 5,8 cm Wide 3,8 cm Depth 3,4 cm
Weight: 53,3 grams

The wealth deity Jambhala is depicted seated in lalitāsana on a double-lotus pedestal, his right leg pendant with the foot resting on a lotus stem. His corpulent form and rounded belly are characteristic of his association with abundance and prosperity. In his left hand he holds the mangus (mongoose), the magical animal that disgorges jewels, while his right rests on his knee. He wears a tall pointed crown in the early Tibetan style, with turquoise inlay ornaments to the ears, and strings of jewelry adorning his chest. His face is rendered with a benevolent yet powerful expression, highlighted by traces of red pigment and gilding.

The base is sealed with an incised double-vajra (visvavajra), consistent with Tibetan ritual consecration practices.

Although following the style of 13th-century prototypes, particularly in the crown and proportions, the figure was produced at a later date, likely in the 17th–18th century, in deliberate archaism echoing earlier Central Tibetan bronzes.

Sold for €1,000