A possibly Uttar Pradesh bronze figure of panchamukha Hanuman. 18th century - image-1

Lot 537 Dα

A possibly Uttar Pradesh bronze figure of panchamukha Hanuman. 18th century

Auction 1080 - overview Cologne
09.12.2016, 11:00 - Asian Art - Indian Bronzes from the Günter Heil Collection / Japanese Art
Estimate: 1.500 € - 2.000 €
Result: 1.364 € (incl. premium)
Print page
Watchlist

A possibly Uttar Pradesh bronze figure of panchamukha Hanuman. 18th century

A possibly Uttar Pradesh bronze figure of a ten-armed panchamukha Hanuman seated in childlike vajrasana on a female? figure with sword and shield on a stepped base. The monkey face is surrounded by the heads of the Vishnu avatars Simha, Garuda und Varaha and surmounted by the horse-faced Hayagriva. The ten hands hold khadga, ankusha, pasha, gada, trishula, ball, damaru, khetaka, mastaka and parvata. 18th century.
Height 14.8 cm

The origin of the five-headed tantric Hanuman lies in Vishnuaite beliefs. The Madhva Vaishnavas believe that by worshipping all five heads special grace can be gained. Sudwa Madhava (1199-1278), the founder of this school, saw himself als the incarnation of the wind god Vayu, whose son is Hanuman. (Compare: Gonda, Religionen Indiens, II., p. 143-150)

Provenance

Collection Günter Heil (1938-2014), Berlin

Literature

V.R. Mani, Manifestations of the Monkey God, in: The India Magazine of her people and culture, Vol. 13, December 1992, p. 62-79
Madanjeet Singh, Himalayan Art (Unesco Books), New York 1968, S. 214 (Manifestation of Vishnu, Nepal, 16.-17. Jh., S. 224)