A gilt-bronze group of Vajrasattva in union with VajramamaniTibet, 16th/17th century
The deity elegantly cast seated in dhyanasana upon a double lotus pedestal embracing his consort, the principal hands holding a vajra and a ghanta, the consort portrayed with arms outstretched over the deity's shoulder holding a skull cup, both adorned with an intricate crown and beaded jewellery inset with turquoise. 17.4cm (6 7/8in) high.注脚西藏 十六/十七世紀 銅鎏金金剛薩埵像

Himalayan Art Resources item no.16779
喜馬拉雅藝術資源網16779號

Provenance:
Henry Harrison Getty (1838-1919), by repute
Alice Getty (d.1946), by repute
Courtenay Morgan, Viscount Tredegar (1867-1934), by repute
Evan Morgan, 2nd Viscount Tredegar (1893-1949), by repute
Professor and Mrs Bellerby, by repute
Mark Dineley (1901-1975)
Peter Dineley (1938-2018), and thence by descent

Noted in the handwritten family 'A Catalogue of the Dineley Collection of Tibetiana and Associated Buddhistic Objects', early 1960s, p.94.

來源：
傳亨利·哈里遜·蓋蒂舊藏（1838-1919年）
傳愛麗絲·蓋蒂舊藏（卒於1946年）
傳卓德嘉子爵考特尼·摩根舊藏（1867-1934年）
傳特里迪格子爵二世艾文·摩根舊藏（1893-1949年）
傳貝勒比教授及夫人舊藏
馬克·戴尼利舊藏（1901-1975年）
彼得·戴尼利舊藏（1938-2018年），並由家族繼承

記載於戴尼利家族手稿《戴尼利家族的西藏州和相關的佛教物品收藏目錄》'A Catalogue of the Dineley Collection of Tibetiana and Associated Buddhistic Objects'，1960年代初，頁94。

From the 11th century onward, the depiction of Vajrasattva with consort arises from the class of Anuttarayoga Tantra in the New (Sarma) Schools of Tibetan Buddhism. In the Chakrasamvara cycle of Tantras, Vajrasattva is specifically taught in the Abhidhanottara Tantra, and is known as Heruka Vajrasattva, the Solitary Universal Ruler.

In the Nyingma tradition, the depiction of Vajrasattva embracing the consort with one hand holding the vajra and the other holding a bell, is also known as an important meditational deity with many Kama (Oral) and Terma (Treasure) traditions. The name of the female consort can vary between Tantra systems depending on the Tantra source literature and the specific description.

It is rare to find Vajrasattva with consort in sculpture compared to paintings. A Tibetan thangka of Nyingma lineage, 18th century, with similar depiction of the deities is in the Rubin Museum of Art, New York (acc.no.P1999.10.4); see also a further thangka, 18th century, which was sold at Christie's New York, 21 September 2005, lot 127.

For similar sculptures see Lot 15 in this sale; compare also with a related Tibetan Vajrasattva, illustrated by G.Beguin, Dieux et Démons de l'Himalaya, Paris, 1979, p.151, no.148; another example with a Tibetan inscription is illustrated by A.K.Gordon, The Iconography of Tibetan Lamaism, Tokyo, 1959, p.50. See also a related copper-alloy figure of Vajrasattva Heruka, Tibet, 13th/14th century, which was sold at Bonhams New York, 13 March 2017, lot 3024.

金剛薩埵和佛母皆頭戴寶冠，金剛薩埵頭頂金剛杵，雙耳垂肩，一面三目，面帶微笑，頸戴瓔珞，左手持金剛鈴，右手執金剛杵，懷抱金剛佛母，佛母左手捧顱缽，右手持鉞（已佚），金剛薩埵全跏趺坐於仰覆蓮臺上，臺上下緣起連珠紋一周，封底鏨刻十字金剛持，通體鎏金，首飾嵌寶，髮染黑色。

11世紀以降，金剛薩埵在藏傳佛教無上瑜伽續興起之後隨之重要起來。在無上密續中金剛薩埵是中間靜慮經密續重要的修行法門，被稱為嘿噜嘎-金剛薩埵，為淨化業障的本尊。寧瑪傳統中金剛薩埵形象常為懷抱明妃，一手持金剛杵於明妃後背，一手持金剛鈴於明妃左腿下方。金剛薩埵不僅為淨化業障的神祇，亦是長傳（教傳，Kama）與短傳（巖傳，Terma）皆看重的修行神祇。明妃之名因所根據的密續經典而多有變化。

金剛薩埵明妃造像比起繪畫作品更為少見。可參見魯賓藝術博物館藏一張十八世紀西藏寧瑪派唐卡，所繪金剛薩埵形象和本件造像頗似，館藏編號P1999.10.4；另有一張十八世紀唐卡風格亦近，2005年9月21日售於紐約佳士得，拍品編號127。

相似的造像可參考本圖錄之第15號拍品；另可比較Al Farahnick藏一件相關的造像，見G.Beguin著，《Dieux et Démons de l'Himalaya》，1979年，頁151，編號148；另有一件帶藏文銘文之造像亦資參考，見A.K. Gordon著，《The Iconography of Tibetan Lamaism》，東京，1959年，頁50。紐約邦瀚斯曾售出一件十三/十四世紀金剛薩埵嘿噜嘎像亦可比較之，2017年3月13日，拍品編號3024。