53 - BRONZE SEATED VASUDHARA NEPAL 18TH CENTURY

BRONZE SEATED VASUDHARA NEPAL 18TH CENTURY Dimensions: Height 19,7 cm Wide 17 cm Depth 14 cm Weight: 3197 grams A substantial Nepalese bronze figure of Vasudhara seated in a relaxed posture on a lotus throne. The multi-armed goddess is richly adorned with crown, earrings, necklaces and other jewellery, while her radiating arms create a broad, balanced silhouette. A sheaf of grain, one of her most characteristic attributes, identifies her association with fertility and abundance. Traces of red ritual pigment remain in recessed areas of the casting. Vasudhara is the Buddhist goddess of wealth, prosperity and fecundity and enjoyed particular importance in the Kathmandu Valley. Her imagery combines worldly abundance with the Buddhist concept of merit, making her a natural focus for both domestic and monastic devotion. The multiplication of arms allows several symbolic attributes to be displayed simultaneously, presenting prosperity as both material and spiritual. The sculpture reflects the accomplished metalworking traditions of Newar ateliers, especially in the modelling of the face, elaborate crown and densely worked ornaments. The aged surface and surviving pigment preserve the sense of an image that functioned as a devotional object rather than simply as sculpture.