A BRONZE FIGURE OF VAISHRAVANA

Description:

China, possibly 18th c.
H. 32,5 cm
Seated astride his caparisoned roaring lion reclining on the lotus base with his head turned towards the viewer, his raised right hand in the tarjanimudra while the left originally supporting the mongoose, wearing armour, wide-sleeved jacket, fastened aroud the waist with a belt decorated with a lion-mask, a pair of boots, scarf floating around his shoulders, his face displaying a severe expression with protruding eyes below raised eyebrows, his mouth and chin framed by moustache, goatee and beard, his elongated earlobes with large ear rings, his hair combed in a chignon and secured with a tiara decorated with the triratna emblem at ist centre, sealed.
European private collection
The bronze figure depicts Vaishravana, the protector of the north and one of the Four Heavenly Kings in Buddhism. In China, he is known as Duowen Tianwang (多闻天王). The figure probably dates from the 18th century and was made during the Qing dynasty, a period when Buddhist representations were widespread in both imperial and popular contexts. Vaishravana is typically depicted in armor. Iconographically, the representation reflects the combination of Tibetan Buddhist and Chinese influences, as is often found in 18th-century religious art. The figure probably served as a temple image or as part of a protective ensemble intended to symbolically preserve and purify the space. - Minor wear, slightly chipped, minor green corrosion