Sino-Tibetan, Qianlong Period, 18th century

The ferocious god Vajrabhairava is the wrathful form of Manjushri and a revered meditational deity in the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism, the dominant religious power in Tibet in the seventeenth century. Vajrabhairava also became a prominent Buddhist icon in China under the Qing emperors, who maintained direct links with the dignitaries of the Gelugpa sect, including the Dalai and Panchen Lamas. This form of Buddhism flourished within China under Qing rule, inspiring the construction of numerous temples in and around the capital of Beijing. In the eighteenth century, the Qianlong Emperor promoted himself as a manifestation of Manjushri, establishing his role as a spiritual and political leader. Images of Vajrabhairava, therefore, carried both religious and political implications, promoting Gelugpa spiritual practice while simultaneously endorsing the heavenly mandate of the Emperor.
This impressive and heavily-cast figure of Vajrabhairava is cleverly constructed in several pieces, expertly fitted together. Striding in alidhasana, he tramples on animals and prostrate figures including Shiva, Vishnu, Indra, Brahma, Kartika, Chandra, Surya and Ganesha, atop a lotus base. In his primary hands he holds a curved knife and skull cup, while his outstretched hands radiate around him. His central face is in the form of a ferocious buffalo, with bulging eyes and flaming brows, and is flanked and surmounted by eight additional faces. Vetali wraps her left leg around his waist, her fiery red hair cascading down her back as she tilts her head back to meet her partner's gaze. She too holds a skull cup in her left hand and a curved knife in her right. Compare the modeling, construction and style of the present work with a slightly smaller example of Vajrabhairava in union sold at Christie's New York on March 15-16th, 2015, lot 3214.