STATUETTE DE PRAJNAPARAMITA EN ALLIAGE DE CUIVRE DORÉNÉPAL, DATÉ 1448Inscribed in Newari around the rim of the base, dated to, 'the 15th of the bright half of Magh, (NS) 568 (January-February 1448 CE)'.Himalayan Art Resources item no. 2307617 cm (6 5/8 in.) highProvenance: A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF PRAJNAPARAMITANEPAL, DATED 1448尼泊爾 1448年 銅鎏金般若佛母像Prajnaparamita is the living embodiment of thePrajnaparamita-sutra, the very same manuscript she holds in her upper left hand that serves as a foundational text for Mahayana and Vajrayana principles. In this rare iconography, the goddess of supreme wisdom and mother of all Buddhas is portrayed in a four-armed form that was celebrated among the Newari Buddhistmunities. However, in contrast with typical depictions of her turning the Wheel of the Dharma (dharmachakrapavartina mudra), Prajnaparamita tenderly holds the bud of a lotus flower in her principal pair of hands. Furthermore, she is represented with a type of vajra crown that is associated with the Primordial Buddhas Vajradhara and Vajrasattva, signifying her iconographic importance as amissioned work.Prajnaparamita's sensitive modeling, in addition to the fluttering ribbon ties of her crown and a looped girdle accentuating her supple waist, demonstrate the work of a skilled craftsman hailing from the Early Malla period of Nepal (1282-1400). Her tall forehead and heart-shaped face also conform to classic Newari aesthetics, as does thepact treatment of her lotus base with sumptuously curled petals. That being said, the light amount of wear to the gilding and the preference for turquoise insets possibly suggest that this image travelled to Tibet shortly after its initial wor in Nepal, where sculptures were venerated on Tibetan altars from afar. See an image of Shadakshari Lokeshvara withparable facial features and the lower garment ends in the Tibet Museum, Gruyères (ABS 138). Also see an image of Manjushri wearing a vajra crown while seated atop a similarly modeled lotus base from the Robert and Jean-Pierre Rousset Collection, sold at , Paris, 26 October 2022, lot 290.