DOLONNOR, QING DYNASTY, 18TH/19TH CENTURYHimalayan Art Resources item no.4489 23 5/8 in. (60 cm) high,
多倫諾爾 清 十八/十九世紀 銅鎏金錘揲三足供架 Ritual stands such as this rare, large-scale example play an important role in tantric Buddhist practices while creating a powerful visual image. Here the three struts are formed by imaginative mythical beasts designed with a compilation of features that would enable them to traverse water, land, and air. Each beast stands upright and alert on a short pair of legs and talons gripping human skulls. Their elongated bodies with reptilian skin curl upwards before emerging into an elaborate scrolling tail that supports a ring of three wrathful heads. Offering stands are created for tantric ceremonies such as the long-life ritual or initiation ritual, and are often placed in the center of a sand mandala while supporting a large vase or an offering bowl. A 19th-century thangka of Namkhai Nyingpo preserved at the Rubin Museum of Art, New York (C2006.66.20) clearly illustrates one such ritual: the 8th-century master is shown at the center of the composition performing a longevity ritual. To his right is a large ceremonial stage featuring a mandala, upon which a tripod stand has been placed to support a long-life vase decorated with peacock feathers. An assembly of immortality deities is invoked in the ritual and emanates out of the vase. Compare the treatment of the heads – particularly the broad beak-like nose, the deeply furrowed forehead, and the even parting of the hair – to a repoussé figure of Mahakala from Dolonnor formerly in the Maitri Collection (Bonhams, New York, 20 March 2018, lot 3215). Also compare with a singular repoussé dragon figure sold Bonhams, London, 7 November 2019, lot 16 and a Dolonnor Makaramukha sold Bonhams, New York, 19 March 2018, lot 3053. Also see a much smaller Yongle-period tripod stand with similar formation, likely used to support a conch shell or a kapala on an altar table, sold at Christie's, Hong Kong, 30 May 2017, lot 2806. Provenance:Estate of Major E.G. Byers, acquired in China around 1920Private Georgia Collection