A POLYCHROMED TERRACOTTA BHAIRAVA LIBATION VESSEL NEPAL, 15TH CENTURYA POLYCHROMED TERRACOTTA BHAIRAVA LIBATION VESSELNEPAL, 15TH CENTURY Himalayan Art Resources item no. 4719 59 cm (23 1/4 in.) high尼泊爾 十五世紀 泥塑彩繪陪臚酒器During the beloved annual Indrajatra and Pachali Bhairabjatra festivals taking place in the Kathmandu Valley every September, libation vessels in the form of Bhairava are often displayed in front of temples and private dwellings. Such vessels typically take the form of a Bhairava mask, made of either wood or copper alloy, and a round earthen pot positioned behind the mask. The pot is filled with beer or rice wine and a bamboo pipe protrudes through Bhairava's mouth to distribute the drink, an act regarded as prasad, a divine gift, to devotees as a blessing from the god. Occasionally, the pot itself is shaped into the face of Bhairava and painted in various colors, which the present lot exemplifies.Distinguished by exceptionally large eyes, including the third eye, Bhairava's imposing face is adorned with a skull crown featuring a miniature head of Indra flanked by four cobras. The largely intact polychrome decoration and the raised outline of the eyes and crinkled ridge-line of the nose accentuate his powerful gaze and demand for reverence.Such Bhairava-shaped terracotta vessels are extremely rare. The only direct comparison from the period can be found in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (M.88.224.1). For other related wood Bhairava masks, see Bonhams, New York, 19 March 2012, lot 1094, and 13 September 2011, lot 1008. Also compare with a larger mask published in Nies, Spirit of Compassion, Antwerp, 1995, pp. 28-9.Provenance:Private European Collection