A Gilt Bronze Figure of Vajrasphota, Mandala Gatekeeper

TIBET, 15TH CENTURY

Details

A Gilt Bronze Figure of Vajrasphota, Mandala Gatekeeper
Tibet, 15th Century
The potbellied guardian figure holding his chain attribute, striding in alidhasana over a lotus base, garlanded with snakes and wearing an animal skin over his flaring dhoti, his jewelry inlaid with semi-precious stones, his face in a wrathful countenance depicted with bared fangs, and hair in a flaming bun encircled by his long scarf
10¼ in. (26 cm.) high

Literature

P. Pal, Exhibition catalogue, Himalayas: An Aesthetic Adventure, Chicago, The Art Institute of Chicago, 2003, p. 147, cat. no. 96.

Exhibited

Chicago, The Art Institute of Chicago, Himalayas: An Aesthetic Adventure, cat. no. 96, April-August 2003; Washington DC, The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, October 2003-January 2004.

Lot Essay

Vajrasphota is the personification of the "diamond chain" instrument that guards the western gate of the mandala. The sculpture was likely commissioned as a set of four guardian figures for a three-dimensional mandala.

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