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A GILT-BRONZE AND IRON RITUAL CHOPPER, KARTIKA
奥地利
12月16日 晚上6点 开拍 /7天11小时
拍品描述

Description

A GILT-BRONZE AND IRON RITUAL CHOPPER, KARTIKA

Tibet, circa 17th-18th century or later. The crescent-shaped blade of iron, fitted with a bronze handle in the form of an four-pronged vajra, and with beaded rims and lotus petals enclosing the mid-section. The blade is surmounted by the flayed mantle of a stylized lion, terminates in a sharp point or curved hook, and combines the flaying implements of a cutting-knife and scraping blade with the piercing activity of a dagger or pulling-hook.

Provenance: The Presencer Collection of Buddhist Art. Alain Presencer (b. 1939) is a renowned Tibetologist, collector, musician, and long-standing Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society. He began studying Buddhism at age 13, later training under Professor Mathera Sadhatissa at the University of Toronto in 1961-1962, before relocating to the UK in the 1970s to immerse himself in Tibetan culture. Over the past 60 years, Alain brought to the West his knowledge of the Himalayan region. By gaining access to remote monasteries, he amassed a comprehensive collection of Tibetan Buddhist artifacts, encompassing thangkas, ritual implements, statues, mandala plaques, and singing bowls. He also produced a popular recording of his own performances, introducing this musical genre to a global audience with his album 'The Singing Bowls of Tibet', which has sold over a million copies to date. Significant pieces from his collection were sold at his personal sale at Bonhams Hong Kong on 2 October 2018. Subsequently, Alain Presencer wrote a book on his lifelong field of study, titled Tibetan Buddhist Art and published in 2019, featuring images of several objects from his collection.
Condition: Good condition with wear and casting irregularities. Few small nicks, expected rubbing and flaking to gilt, remnants of ritual pigment, and signs of wear and use. Some flaking and minor losses. The blade reinforced to the handle with older traces of soldering.

Weight: 1,161 g
Dimensions: Height 32 cm

This special ritual knife, called a chopper or flaying knife, can be recognized by its crescent shaped blade. Used in rituals and held by deities, it symbolizes the ‘cutting away’ of ignorance. Paired with a skull cup representing wisdom, the flaying knife symbolizes the skillful means necessary in Buddhist practice. This pairing of objects is designed to shock practitioners into realizing the implications of letting go of all their attachments.

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related ritual flaying knife, kartrika, Tibet, 17th-18th century, 18.4 cm wide, in the Art Institute Chicago, reference number 2014.1038.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Koller Auctions, Zurich, 13 June 2017, lot 136
Price: CHF 6,250 or approx. EUR 7,300 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A bronze and iron ritual chopper (karttrka [sic]), 16th/17th c.
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, materials, decoration, and size (15.7 cm).

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拍品估价:700 - 1,400 欧元 起拍价格:700 欧元  买家佣金: 30.00%

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