OUEST DE L'HIMALAYA OU OUEST DU TIBET, XIIE SIÈCLE

This Tibetan bronze figure depicts Vajrasattva, the bodhisattva associated with purification, seated in a meditative posture upon a lotus base. Vajrasattva is shown holding the vajra at the chest, signifying indestructible wisdom, while the bell in his left hand emphasizes the union of method and insight central to esoteric Buddhist practice.

The formative period in Western Tibetan art of the eleventh and twelfth centuries drew primarily on images from Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, while also including influences from Nepal and North-Eastern India. This synthesis is clearly evident in the present figure of Vajrasattva. The brass finish, the streamers along the arms, and lateral projections recall elements associated with Himachal Pradesh (c.f. U. von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, p. 153, no. 28C and 28D). The wide-leafed, double-based lotus base and beaded rim indicate Pala idioms transmitted through eastern Indian and adapted into Nepalese casting traditions. This syncretic style which was assimilated into Western Tibetan canons shares a similar visual synthesis with another Vajrasattva published in Chen, Sattvas & Rajas: The Culture and Art of Tibetan Buddhism, 2004, p. 258, no. 165.