Om Mani Padme Hum

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Om Mani Padme Hum

'Om Mani Padme Hum', the lotus is the jewel of creation, contains the essence of Buddha's teachings. This widely used mantra is associated with Sadaksari, an emanation of Avalokitèsvara, the Bodhisattva of compassion. It is commonly carved on rocks or written on paper inserted into prayer wheels, or refrains of sacred texts. Saying 'Om Mani Padme Hum', or viewing the mantra, evokes the powerful benevolent attention and blessings of Avalokitèsvara.

Throughout Asian art history, the padma has been a major symbol of purity, and the lotus thrones upon which deities are portrayed symbolize their divine origin. This sacred sign has been adopted by many of the world's great civilizations, and incorporated into their arts and architecture. The lotus is seen as immaculately conceived, perfect and pure in its body, speech and mind.

'Om Mani Padme Hum' has been chosen as the title for this catalogue. The image of Sadaksari illustrated on the cover symbolizes it in a perfect manner, and represents the emotional impact of such pieces they originally transcended in temples or monasteries. They were intended as a means by which a state of spiritual salvation could be attained.

The catalogue represents a fine selection of Asian art, chosen from private collections on the bases of their lively expression, high quality of execution, rarity, provenance and level of artistic taste. All the works have been carefully researchd and come with extensive written documentation, a provenance report, a guarantee of authenticity, and an Art Loss Register certificate.

Marcel Nies 2011