A gilt-bronze figure of Vajradhara Tibet, 15th century 9.8 in. (24.89 cm.) high Provenance: The collection of Engineer Holger Rosell (1917–2009), Stockholm. With the National Museum Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde, Stockholm. Uppsala Auktionskammare, 5 December 2014, lot 1001. Published: Himalayan Art Resources, item no. 8375.
The present figure represents the primordial buddha Vajradhara. His hands—crossed in front of his heart in vajraembracing gesture, holding a vajra/dorje and ghanta/drilbu (bell)—make him easily recognizable. His elaborate ornaments identify him as a symbolic buddha in bodhisattva appearance. This lustrous figure of Vajradhara is finely sculpted on double-lotus base, clad in a dhoti with a shawl draped over his shoulders, flowing down symmetrically on either side of his torso to rest on his seat. An urna of inset turquoise sits below his five-leaf tiara behind which his hair is pulled into a neat pile surmounted by a half vajra. The complexity of the woven knots within his chignon are revealed from the backside of the sculpture as is the careful execution of each element, despite the fact that this facet is frequently hidden. The sculpture is embellished with small turquoise and ruby or garnet cabochons set in bezels to accentuate his crown, necklace, armbands, and belt—a style of inlay more common among Nepalese bronzes than Tibetan ones. However, the square face, the straight slope of the buddha’s nose in profile, the exclusion of a garuda element from the crown, and the festooned design of Vajradhara’s prominent necklace point to a Tibetan origin.
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