TIBET, 11TH CENTURY

Details

A bronze figure of Vajrapani
Tibet, 11th century
Standing in strident pose with his right leg bent, his left hand in front of his chest and his right hand holding a vajra, wearing a dhoti secured by a snake around his waist and a long garland of skulls, further snakes encircling his upper arms and neck, the hair drawn up into a high coil centered with the Buddha, the head and body backed by a nimbus intersecting with a mandala, both incised with flames, with a rich brown patina all over
5¾ in. (14.5 cm.) high

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Lot Essay

Vajrapani is regarded as one of the eight heart-sons of Shakyamuni Buddha. In the tradition of Vajrayana Buddhism, Vajrapani is typically shown in a wrathful form and historically he is the main recipient, holder and protector of all the Tantra texts and teachings received from the Buddha Shakyamuni. The construction of the halo intersecting with the mandala follows the Kashmiri tradition; see U. von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, 1981, pp. 149-155.

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