STATUE DE VAJRADHARA EN LAITON INCRUSTÉ D'ARGENT TSANG, TIBET CENTRAL, XVE SIÈCLESTATUE DE VAJRADHARA EN LAITON INCRUSTÉ D'ARGENTTSANG, TIBET CENTRAL, XVE SIÈCLEHimalayan Art Resources item no. 4840 24 cm (9 1/2 in.) high A SILVER-INLAID BRASS FIGURE OF VAJRADHARA TSANG, CENTRAL TIBET, 15TH CENTURY 藏中 十五世紀 銅錯銀金剛總持像 Provenance:With Claude de Marteau, Brussels, by 1970s The primordial Buddha, Vajradhara, crosses a vajra and bell before his chest (vajrahumkara mudra), symbolizing the perfected union of wisdom and compassion that is Buddha-consciousness, and into which the human ego can blissfully evaporate. His sublime body is clad in a lower garment with patterned floral hems, and a scarf that drapes over his shoulders before sweeping around the elbows and falling to his sides. His crown consists of five tall leaves, representing each of the Five Presiding Buddhas. The sculpture is a superior example of the non-gilded, brassy, and frequently inlaid style favored in Tsang province of Central Tibet. This alloy can be brought to a high polish, achieving an attractive buttery patina, as seen on the figure's back. Vajradhara's squarish countenance and accentuated smile are also characteristic of Tsang style. A 15th-century date is supported by the particular rippling of the lower garment around the shins, and the long, densely packed lotus petals around the base, which Tibetan craftsmen adopted from imperial Chinese Buddhist bronzes that were sent to powerful Tsang monasteries by the Yongle emperor (1403-24). Similar Tsang bronzes of Vajradhara are kept in the Johkang, Lhasa; the Rubin Museum of Art, New York (C.2005.37.1); and a private collection (see von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, Vol. II, 2001, p. 1193, no. 323B; HAR 90823; and HAR 30586, respectively).