MING DYNASTY, 15TH-16TH CENTURY

The vajra (ritual thunderbolt) and ghanta (ritual bell) are important implements in tantric Buddhism, representing masculine compassion and feminine wisdom, respectively, and are used in various rituals and meditations in Vajrayana Buddhism. It is rare to find an original set as the present lot, and it is interesting to note that the present bell is cast with Om ah hum , which forms the beginning of the Padmasambhava mantra, Om Ah Hum Vajra Guru Padma Siddhi Hum. Compare a related Tibetan ritual bell cast with the same mantra on the interior, illustrated in Monarchy and Its Buddhist Way, Tibetan-Buddhist Ritual Implements in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1999, p. 76, no. 8. Compare also a similar example with Xuande incised mark, sold at The Perfect Countenance- Fine Buddhist Works of Art, Christie’s Hong Kong, 31 May 2017, lot 2809. Further, compare to a similar example of vajra and ghanta, sold at Sotheby’s New York, 20 March 2013, lot 258.