Ader
263
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Chaitya (stupa) in gilded copper alloy, Nepal, 18th century
See original version (French)
263
-
Chaitya (stupa) in gilded copper alloy, Nepal, 18th century
See original version (French)
Estimate €6,000 - €8,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Chaitya (stupa) in gilded copper alloy, Nepal, 18th century
The votive reliquary rests on a double base of lotus petals. Around the anda, a hemispherical dome, are depicted the four celestial Buddhas associated with the four cardinal points. To the east: Akshobhya – recognisable by his earth-touching gesture (bhumisparsa mudra). To the south: Ratnasambhava – associated with the gesture of giving or generosity (varada mudra). To the west: Amitabha – depicted in the meditation posture (dhyana mudra). To the north: Amoghasiddhi – identified by the gesture of fearlessness and protection (abhaya mudra). At the geometric centre of the stupa resides the fifth Buddha of the pentad: Vairocana. Although invisible within the solid dome, his central presence forms the pivot around which the entire monument is organised. The harmika, a small square situated above the anda, is engraved on all four sides with a pair of eyes. It is surmounted by a thirteen-tiered spire symbolising the stages of purification that the mind must pass through to attain Enlightenment, and upon which rests the final square, moulded canopy evoking spiritual protection.
Height: 16.5 cm
Publication:
Alexander W. Macdonald and Anne Vergati Stahl, *Newar Art: Nepalese Art During the Malla Period*, 1979, p. 80, no. 63.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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