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The Buddhist Guardian Mahabala

The Buddhist Guardian Mahabala. Culture: Indonesia (Java). Dimensions: H. 6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm). Date: 11th century. According to certain traditional programs of Esoteric Buddhist iconography, Mahabala, similar to Yamantaka, is the conqueror of the lord of death and, by extension, of death itself. As a guardian of the faith (dharmapala), he is depicted as a fierce deity, shown here trampling a prostrate male, perhaps signifying death. The powerful, corpulent protector adopts the aggressive stance of pratyalidha, a posture often used by figures trampling foes. His lowered right hand is in the boon-granting gesture and his raised left is in a sign of warning or menace. Mahabala is depicted with six heads, six legs, and twelve arms. Of the six faces, only one is pacific; the rest are wrathful, fanged, and terrifying. All of the heads wear diadems of skulls, and the deity wears a matching necklace and a sacred thread composed of skulls alternating with lotuses. Mahabala's hair is a series of spiraling conical forms, which heighten the sense of a great pyramidal mass being supported by the shoulders. Mahabala frequents cemeteries, and his necropolitan associations--torsos, limbs, skull bones, and flayed skin--are graphically depicted around the base of the sculpture. Amid this grisly reminder of mortality, one macabre smiling head appears on the side of the base.
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Titre:
The Buddhist Guardian Mahabala
Légende: Voir la traduction automatique
The Buddhist Guardian Mahabala. Culture: Indonesia (Java). Dimensions: H. 6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm). Date: 11th century. According to certain traditional programs of Esoteric Buddhist iconography, Mahabala, similar to Yamantaka, is the conqueror of the lord of death and, by extension, of death itself. As a guardian of the faith (dharmapala), he is depicted as a fierce deity, shown here trampling a prostrate male, perhaps signifying death. The powerful, corpulent protector adopts the aggressive stance of pratyalidha, a posture often used by figures trampling foes. His lowered right hand is in the boon-granting gesture and his raised left is in a sign of warning or menace. Mahabala is depicted with six heads, six legs, and twelve arms. Of the six faces, only one is pacific; the rest are wrathful, fanged, and terrifying. All of the heads wear diadems of skulls, and the deity wears a matching necklace and a sacred thread composed of skulls alternating with lotuses. Mahabala's hair is a series of spiraling conical forms, which heighten the sense of a great pyramidal mass being supported by the shoulders. Mahabala frequents cemeteries, and his necropolitan associations--torsos, limbs, skull bones, and flayed skin--are graphically depicted around the base of the sculpture. Amid this grisly reminder of mortality, one macabre smiling head appears on the side of the base.
Technique/matériel:
Bronce
Période:
Eastern Javanese period
Musée:
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
Crédit:
Album / Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY
Autorisations:
Modèle: Non - Propriété: Non
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Taille de l'image:
3276 x 4094 px | 38.4 MB
Taille d'impression:
27.7 x 34.7 cm | 10.9 x 13.6 in (300 dpi)
Mots clés:
ART ASIATIQUE • ASIA • BRONZE • BRONZES • INDONESIA • JAVA • MATERIAU BRONZE • METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NEW YORK, USA