A BLACKSTONE STELE OF CHATURBHUJA MAHAKALA


NORTHEASTERN INDIA, PALA PERIOD, CIRCA 9TH CENTURYHimalayan Art Resources item no.61746 22.5 cm (8 1/4 in.) high
|Chaturbhuja Mahakala appears more jolly than fierce in this unusual stele. Rather than a heart, he possibly holds a coconut in front of his chest, which would follow the Tsal Tradition (cf. HAR no.99634). Chaturbhuja is the protector of the important Chakrasamvara Tantra.   The stele is from Northeastern India, which is credited with the origins of many of these tantric deities. The stone's granular texture, the ornamentation's simplicity, and the figure's suppleness reflect the early Pala style of 8th to 10th centuries. Working from Pala models, Tibetans continued the tradition of carving the deity in stone (HAR nos.31394&86463).   Provenance Christian Lequindre, Paris, October 2006 Private European Collection 黑石四臂大黑天碑 印度東北部，帕拉時期，約九世紀 喜馬拉雅藝術資源網61746號高22.5釐米（8 1/4 英吋）   150,000-250,000港元     此尊四臂大黑天面容歡快而非兇猛，甚為罕有。手中所持亦非心臟，而可能為椰果，圖像學特徵遵循沙派傳統（參考喜瑪拉雅藝術資源99634號）。四臂大黑天為"勝樂金剛密法"的護法神。   此碑出自印度東北部，即眾多密宗神祗的發源地。石材之顆粒結構、簡潔裝飾及溫和的人物處理皆屬公元八至十世紀之早期帕拉風格。西藏匠人後亦秉承帕拉傳統，創作以四臂大黑天為題材的石雕作品（喜瑪拉雅藝術資源31394及86463號）。   來源 Christian Lequindre，巴黎，2006年10月 歐洲私人收藏