A very rare ivory plaque of Panjarnata Mahakala


Chenghua six-character mark, Ming DynastyThe teardrop-shaped plaque centred by the three-eyed and two-armed deity standing above a figure, holding a curved knife, a skull-cup and the 'Gandhi of Emanation', wearing a lower garment of tiger skin and flowing streamers, adorned with a crown and a necklace suspending human skulls and surrounded by nineteen panels each depicting a Tibetan lanca character, all enclosed within a border of blazing flames, the reverse engraved with the six-character mark with traces of red pigment. 8.8cm (3 7/16in) long.
|明 象牙雕寶帳大黑天牌「大明成化年製」刻款The present plaque may have been part of a gift exchange between the Imperial Court and a Tibetan Buddhist leader. The early Ming Court sought to strengthen relationships with Tibetan leaders in order to exert political influence over the region and bolster the legitimacy to rule. The plaque most probably formed part of a large set of ivory ornaments, each carved with figurative and decorative designs, which represented an elaborate mandala and was worn as a girdle, apron or headdress by Buddhist practitioners during the performance of Tantric rituals such as dances of initiation ceremonies. Tantric practitioners often envisioned themselves as wearing bone ornaments, hada abharana, made of their own bones, as the the consummate symbol of renunciation of the phenomenal world. This finely carved plaque depicts the wrathful form of Mahakala in his classic appearance of Panjarnata. In this form, the deity was regarded as the special protector of the Hevajra cycle of teachings and the principal protector of the Shakya school of Tibetan Buddhism. The deity arises from the 'Vajrapanjara Tantra', which belongs to the larger Hevajra Cycle of Tantras and classified as Non-dual Anuttarayoga. The magical gandhi stick, held horizontally as a wooden club by the deity, symbolises his vow to protect Buddhism. Drawing inspiration from the Himalayan style, which was absorbed by the Ming Court through direct contact with Tibetan priests, the iconography of the present plaque compares with a small gold hat ornament depicting Mahakala, 15th century (circa 1400-1441), which was excavated from the tomb of Prince Zhuang of Liang, in Hubei Province, illustrated by C.Clunas and J.Harrison-Hall, Ming: 50 Years That Changed China, London, 2014, p.210, fig.177. Compare also with the style and complex rendering of the smallest details noted on the carved plaques making up a bone apron, Tibet, 14th/15th century, illustrated by B.Lipton and N.Dorjee-Ragnubs, Treasures of Tibetan Art: Collections of the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art, Oxford, 1996, p.217, fig.114.明初時期，朝廷為鞏固對西藏地區的影響以及控制，曾經極力拉攏藏傳佛教各宗派之領袖，而此一象牙牌或為當時朝廷供奉予西藏高僧之法器，而成為此段歷史的明證。此牌原本或為一套象牙飾件之一，鑲嵌於祭師於密宗儀式所穿戴的腰帶、纓絡裙或是頭飾之上。各構件雕琢不同神祗紋飾，並組合成為曼陀羅的象徵。牌正中則鏤雕大黑天像，呈憤怒相，化身成為密宗薩迦派護法神。而手中則執法器，代表捍衛密宗教義。明代期間，因朝廷與西藏高僧接觸逐漸頻密，因此作坊所製法器亦有漸見糅合當地風格的跡象。其中一例為一件於湖北省梁莊王墓出土的十五世紀金頭飾，其上飾紋飾及形象與皆可供比對，詳見C.Clunas及J.Harrison-Hall著，《Ming: 50 Years that Changed China》，倫敦，2014年，頁210，圖177。另一套十四/十五世紀骨雕纓絡裙飾件，上方所雕的紋飾細節亦有所相類，載於B.Lipton及N.Dorjee-Ragnubs著，《Treasures of Tibetan Art: Collections of the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art》，牛津，1996年，頁217，圖114。