Fire-gilded bronze. Tibet, 18th cent.


Very rare portrait with well-preserved fire gilding in very fine craftmanship featuring all attributes. The name of this goddess, also a bodhisattva and “Mother of all Buddhas“, says almost everything - “The Conquerer through the Ushnisha“. Thus, her most important attribute is the Buddhabimba, image of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni, who presents the head elevation ushnisha and holds it in one of her upper hands. Ushnishavijaya is above all a deity of successful protection against the Evil, the demons. Her main hands display vishvavajra held defined in the center, as well as sling, pasha, the cross-shaped vajra as symbol des unyielding Absolute and sling to shackle demons. Further, bow and arrow in the central hands, which also form the karana mudra with spread-out fingers to ward off demons. The lowest hands of the eight-armed goddess show the wish-fufilling gesture varadamudra and hold the ratnakalasha vessel with precious gems. Ushnishavijaya has three heads, respectively with Third Eye and defensive expression against demons. Jagged crowns with flaming ratna, as well as tall chignon topped with a lotus bud, on reverse long strands of hair peeking through under her scarf. Jewelry chains with little, inlaid turquoise; seated in padmasana on a wide lotus base.
青銅鑲金造尊胜佛母像。西藏，18世紀。高21厘米，寬約20厘米。Heinrich Harrer 先生舊藏。

HEIGHT 21 CM, WIDTH AROUND 20 CM
From the collection of Heinrich Harrer



This object is from the collection of Heinrich Harrer, mountaineer, adventurous explorer and writer, gained worldwide prominence for his ground- breaking ascent up the Eiger’s north face in 1938 and later for his book “7 Years in Tibet” (1952, translated into 53 languages). In the course of his escape from a British prisoner-of-war camp in India, Harrer, together with Aufschnaiter, was the first ever European to reach Lhasa, where he stayed until 1951. During his stay he became the teacher of the Dalai Lhama, with whom he fled to India during the Sino-Tibetan conflict in 1950/51, sharing a lasting friendship together until the end of his days. The book, which tells of this adventurous escape and his time in Tibet, was made into a blockbuster film in 1997, starring Brad Pitt in the lead role. Harrer, who lived in Hüttenberg (Carinthia) until 2006, was personally acquainted with us and regularly contributed important objects from his collection – most of which was obtained by the Rietberg Museum in Zurich – to earlier exhibitions in our gallery, which was located in Vienna’s Schulerstraße at the time.
Heinrich Harrer 先生 (1912– 2006) 是一位奧地利有名的旅遊者,學者及作家.他出版於1952年的書 “我在西藏度過的7年” 最為出名. 他於1944年作為第一位歐洲人到達拉薩,一直到1951年住在這. 他成為達賴喇嘛的朋友及老師. 他的藝術收藏一部分在瑞士蘇黎世市的雷特博尔格博物館收藏, 另外一部分重要的古玩通過個人關係委託我會拍賣.