A copper-alloy seated figure of a Vajradhara, Tibet, 15th / 16th century

Acquired, together with the other Buddhist figures in the sale, as a group collection in Paris, circa 1985.

This imposing Tibetan image depicts the primordial Buddha Vajradhara, the progenitor of Vajrayana Buddhist teachings, seated with hands crossed before his chest holding a ritual bell and thunderbolt sceptre. The face is painted gold according to Tibetan ritual practise, but the physiognomy recalls classical Nepalese styles. The unusual lotus platform is cast in relief along the lower rim with apsaras and lions either side of a central long-life vase, an elephant and a kinnara to the left and a horse and bird to the right. Similarities in the sculptural style and pedestal design are seen on the Jules Speelman Tsangnyon Heruka at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr, 11 June 2024, lot 19: note the dark metal, jewellery design and the animals cast in relief on the lotus pedestal. The Speelman bronze was published by Marylin Rhie and Robert Thurman in Wisdom and Compassion: The Sacred Art of Tibet, Thames and Hudson, 1996, p. 443, where the authors relate the statue to images in the Gyantse Kumbum that date to the second quarter of the 15th century.