NEPAL, 16TH CENTURY

The skull-cup-bearing form of tutelary deity Hevajra stands in pratyalidhasana together with his consort Nairatmya. The deities of the highest yoga tantra dance upon a double-lotus trampling the Hindu deities Brahma and Shiva in their stride. His dangling foot is met with gestures of support by Indra and Vishnu, who are rendered in a much smaller scale, seated behind the tantric deities. The eight-headed, sixteen-armed Hevajra holds skull cups or kapala holding a variety of beings in each hand, including an elephant and the earth-goddess Prithvi in his primary hands. His proper-right hands hold a variety of animals while his proper-left hold a retinue of other Hindu deities.
Hevajra is the tantric manifestation of the buddha Akshobhya. His name epitomizes the adamantine nature of Vajrayana teachings. This impressively complex and detailed gilt-bronze figure is an unmistakably Nepalese representation. Beneath its lustrous gilding is a bright copper casting, typical for craftsmanship from the Kathmandu Valley. The separately-cast base is also indicative of the artistic tradition. The plump physiques, facial features, and style of carefully-executed ornamentation are similar to a sixteenth-century image of Vajravarahi, illustrated by U. von Schroeder in Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, p. 379, fig. 101C.

Himalayan Art Resources (himalayanart.org), item no. 24466.