A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF VAJRASATTVA


TIBET, 14TH CENTURYHimalayan Art Resources item no.61642 9.5 cm (3 3/4 in.) high
|西藏 十四世纪 銅鎏金金剛薩埵像As well as representing the Adi Buddha, Vajrasattva is a buddha of purification. His mantra is repeated a hundred thousand times as a standard purification rite before almost any tantric initiation. This charming gilded figure depicts him with a pendant right leg, possibly having been part of a Vajradhatu mandala set, in which Vajrasattva is considered a bodhisattva. Framed by the flowing sashes, the slight sway in his torso evokes a sense of immediacy. Vajrasattva brings an actionable quality to the Adi Buddha's formless purity.Provenance Collection of Ernest Ohly, 1970s