A BRASS ALLOY FIGURE OF MANJUSHRI


KASHMIR, CIRCA 9TH CENTURY Himalayan Art Resources item no.61749 7.5 cm (3 in.) high
|Manjushri wields a sword to dispel ignorance while a sutra of perfected wisdom blossoms from a lotus by his left shoulder. The lotus stem bends as Manjushri's scarf flails, adding movement to the bronze. The Bodhisattva's muscular build and rounded face reflect the sculptural style of Kashmir. Compare with a Kashmiri figure of Maitreya published in Pal, Bronzes of Kashmir, New Delhi, 1975, pp.124-5, no.40. The triangular crown and braided locks are also shared by a 9th-century Kashmiri Padmapani (ibid., pp.138-9, no.47). This sculpture's surface lasts with rubbed details and a buttery finish, having been handled and cherished over centuries. 文殊菩薩銅像 克什米爾，約九世紀 喜馬拉雅藝術資源網61749號 高7.5 釐米（3英吋） 200,000-300,000港元 文殊菩薩高舉智慧寶劍，斬斷無知愚昧，一朵飽滿的蓮花綻放於其左肩，上托一本般若波羅蜜多經梵篋。纖細的蓮莖隨披肩帛帶搖曳而彎，為造像增添了律動流暢感。菩薩面頰圓潤，軀體壯碩，腹部肌肉刻劃寫實，體現出經典的克什米爾造像風格特徵。另論一尊風格相似的克什米爾彌勒佛像，參見帕爾博士所著，《Bronzes of Kashmir》，新德里，1975年，頁124-5，40號。其三角形寶冠及編辮髮結亦與一尊九世紀的克什米爾蓮華手如出一轍（參見同上，頁138-9，47號）。此尊造像歷經數世紀的膜拜與撫摸，表面的突出細節兼已磨平，留下一層溫潤靜謐、柔和亦富有光澤的包漿。