A SMALL SILVER FIGURE OF VAJRADHARA, TIBET, 18th-19th CENTURY
Well cast seated in dhyanasana atop a double lotus base with beaded edges, holding a vajra and bell in a gesture known as vajrahumkara (the adamantine sound), the face with a serene expression and a finely incised crown. The baseplate incised with a crossed vajra symbol.


Provenance:
Collection of Maria and Johannes Nickl. The base with an old gallery label, ‘193/22.000-Adibuddha Silber Tibet 18/19th’ probably from Galerie Zacke in Vienna, ca. 1990, stating a purchase price of ATS 22,000 which is roughly equivalent to
3,700 euros
today. Maria (1926-2022) and Johannes Nickl (d. 2020) lived in Vienna, Austria, and were ardent collectors of Asian, Buddhist, and Egyptian works of art. They were highly active in Vienna’s tightknit Asian art trade and assembled most of their collection during the 1980s and 1990s, frequently buying from Galerie Zacke and later Galerie Asboth. The couple were also noted museum patrons and their names are still found on the Ehrentafel (‘Roll of Honor’) of the Egyptian and Near Eastern Collection at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien (Museum of Fine Arts Vienna) today.

Condition:
Very good condition with some old wear and minimal casting irregularities, small dents and light scratches. Traces of usage overall, especially to the base.

Weight: 86.4 g
Dimensions: Height 5.4 cm


Tibetan figures

cast in silver
are relatively rare, given the scarcity of the metal in East Asia and its use in the creation of currency. In discussion of a closely related figure of Mahapratisara in the Nyingjei Lam Collection, Weldon and Casey note, “Silver, a precious and expensive metal, was used only rarely and - apparently - for special commissions in Tibet” (The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet, London, 1999, p. 124, pl. 29).


Certain sects of Himalayan Buddhism
consider Vajradhara the creator and supreme power. He is the originator of the Five Transcendental Buddhas and embodies shunyata (voidness).


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 20 September 2021, lot 351
Price: USD 4,032 or approx.
EUR 4,400
adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A small silver figure of a monk, Tibet, 18th/19th century
Expert remark: Note the size (3.8 cm).




十八至十九世紀西藏金剛總持銀像

本件造像頭戴寶冠，面相俊朗秀雅，眼眉細長。耳垂戴圓鐺，頸戴瓔珞。上身挺直，左右手臂戴釧，雙手當胸交叉，左手在內持鈴，右手在外持金剛杵，雙足金剛跏趺坐。


來源：
Maria 與Johannes Nickl收藏，在同一家族保存至今。底部有藝廊老標籤可見 ‘193/22.000-Adibuddha Silber Tibet 18/19th’字樣，可能來自維也納Zacke藝廊，約1990年，當時售價 ATS 22,000，相當於現在的
3,700 歐元。
Maria (1926-2022) 與 Johannes Nickl (d. 2020年) 住在奧地利維也納，是亞洲、佛教和埃及藝術品的熱心收藏家。他們在維也納的亞洲藝術貿易中非常活躍，並在 1980 年代和 90 年代收集了大部分藏品，經常從 Zacke 藝廊和後來的 Asboth藝廊購買。 這對夫婦也是著名的博物館贊助人，他們的名字至今仍出現在維也納藝術史博物館（維也納美術博物館）埃及和近東藏品的榮譽榜上。

品相：
狀況極好，有一些磨損和小鑄造不規則、小凹痕和輕微劃痕。整體有使用痕跡，尤其是底座。

重量：86.4 克
尺寸：高5.4 釐米

考慮到東亞金屬的稀缺性及其在貨幣上的應用，用銀鑄造的西藏造像相對罕見。可比較Nyingjei Lam Collection收藏中的大隨求菩薩，Weldon與 Casey注釋 《Silver，a precious and expensive metal，was used only rarely and - apparently - for special commissions in Tibet》 (The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet，倫敦，1999年，第124頁，pl. 29).


金剛總持
，藏語「多傑羌」，意為總持統攝一切金剛，是原始的報身佛，為佛教各宗派傳承的本源。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：紐約蘇富比，2021年9月20日，lot 351
價格：USD 4,032（相當於今日
EUR 4,400
）
描述：十八至十九世紀西藏僧侶銀像
專家評論：請注意尺寸(3.8 厘米)。