A Large and Important Gilt Bronze Figure of Vajradhara

NEPAL, 15TH CENTURY

Details

A Large and Important Gilt Bronze Figure of Vajradhara
Nepal, 15th Century
Well cast seated in dhyanasana with his hands crossed at his chest in vajrahumkara mudra holding the vajra and ghanta, his diaphanous dhoti lined with a beaded rim, with a billowing sash wrapped around his shoulders and armlets centered by flaming jewels inset in hardstones, his face with a gentle expression with almond-shaped eyes beneath arched brows framed by disk earrings and an intricate foliate tiara, the facial features highlighted in polychrome
15½ in. (39.5 cm.) high

Lot Essay

Few other examples of this size and quality in public or private collections are published; compare a smaller example in the Berti Aschmann Collection, see H. Uhlig, On the Path to Enlightenment, 1995, cat. no. 21, as well as the the gilt bronze figure of Vairocana in the same collection, cat. no. 26, for a similar sensitivity in the execution of the limbs, toes and fingers; and a gilt bronze figure of Vajrasattva, in P. Pal, Art of the Himalayas, Treasures from Nepal and Tibet, 1991, cat. no. 70, attributed to Tibet or Nepal.

More from Indian and Southeast Asian Art

View All