The faces of the Himalayas

The statue of a Nepalese bodhisattva was just ahead of that of Chakrasamvara and his consort from Tibet.

This Asian program was marked by two gilded metal statuettes evoking Himalayan beliefs : an enlightened being personifying infinite compassion, and a tutelary Buddhist god, both offered at their highest price of €40 , 000 and soaring to six-figure results. First place, at €314,880 , went to this Nepalese bodhisattva, crowned and adorned with jewels, making the gesture of fearlessness.Made between the13th and14th centuries by a Newar artist from the Kathmandu Valley – renowned for its metalwork – it is similar to a bronze Padmapani bodhisattva (” lotus-bearer “) in the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art (New York) , which is larger in size but comparable in style, both in terms of physiognomy and ornamentation. The blossoming flower, symbolizing detachment and elevation to purity, embodies enlightenment. A gilded bronze cosmic couple, Chakrasamvara embracing his consort Vajravarahi (h. 29 cm), personifies the union of wisdom and compassion.It wassold in Tibet in the15th-16th century for €288 ,640 . The extreme refinement of this representation, in terms of both the precision of the chasing and the richness of the details – the finely modeled faces, the delicacy of the jewels embellished with turquoise, the symbolism of the attributes held by the twelve arms of the divinity – testifies to great expertise. “The success of these two statues is due to their high quality, their rarity and the current dynamism of the market, which is particularly active around bronzes from the Himalayan region “, emphasizes Clémentine Guyot, director of the Asian Arts department.To admire them, connoisseurs were invited to take a seat in a jiaoyi folding chair (105 x 77 x 64 cm – see Gazette no. 42) in huanghuali, made in China during the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) and sold for €32,800 .