A GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF MANDARAVA, 16TH-17TH CENTURY
Tibet. Standing on a lotus base, leaning slightly to the side, holding a kapala in one hand, the other in vitarka mudra. She is wearing a long robe with incised and beaded borders. Her foliate-shaped earrings and beaded necklace are inlaid with coral.

Provenance: Christie's, New York, 23 March 1999, lot 130. A British private collection, acquired from the above.
Condition: Very good condition with some wear, small losses, nicks and dents, light scratches. The inlaid coral beads might be later replacements. Fine, naturally grown patina overall.

Weight: 392.4 g
Dimensions: Height 15.3 cm

Mandarava was the wife of Padmasambhava, founder of the Nyingmapa order of Tibetan Buddhism. According to legend, as discussed by Rinpoche Tulku Thondup in Buddhist Civilization in Tibet, 1987, page 32, Padmasambhava enraged the king of Sahora by preaching Buddhism to his daughter. He was ordered to be burnt alive in a valley filled with wood and oil. However, his miraculous powers saved him by turning the oil into a lake as he emerged accompanied by dancing dakinis on a lotus stalk. The king, overwhelmed by the display, converted to Buddhism and gave his daughter to Padmasambhava in marriage. The present figure was most likely once part of a triad with Padmasambhava at the center, Mandarava sitting to his proper right, and Yeshe Tsogyal, his Tibetan partner, to his left.

Literature comparison: Compare a bronze Padmasambhava triad, dated to the 16th century, with a related figure of Mandarava, in the Museum der Kulturen Basel, accession number W.lld140009.R0090 (Himalayan Art Resources item no. 3314009).

Auction result comparison: Compare a related gilt bronze figure of a seated Mandarava, 12.6 cm high, dated to the 16th century, at Christie's New York in Indian and Southeast Asian Art on 22 March 2011, lot 293, sold for USD 37,500.

十六至十七世紀鎏金銅曼達拉娃佛母
西藏。曼達拉娃佛母立於蓮座上，微微側身，一手握著嘎巴啦碗，另一隻手施安慰印。她穿著一件鑲有珠飾的長袍，戴著葉形耳環和鑲嵌著珊瑚的串珠項鍊。

來源：紐約佳士得，1999年3月23日 lot 130；一個英國私人收藏，購於上述拍賣。
品相：狀況極好，有一些磨損、小缺損、刻痕和凹痕、輕微劃痕。鑲嵌的珊瑚珠可能是後來的更換品。包漿整體細膩。

重量: 392.4 克
尺寸：高 15.3 厘米

拍賣結果比較：比較一件相近的鎏金銅曼達娃拉佛母坐像，高12.6 厘米，十六世紀，見紐約佳士得Indian and Southeast Asian Art 2011年3月 22日 lot 293, 售價USD 37,500。