Page 17 - Scholarly Works of Art Hong Kong Sothebys March 3 2019

This large and superbly carved sculpture depicts the Dhyani
Buddha Vajradhara seated in vajraparyankasana; his hands
crossed in front of his chest in vajrahumkaramudra. He
would originally have been holding a ghanta in the left hand
and a vajra in the right, signifying the union of wisdom
and compassion. His five-pronged crown represents the
five qualities of Buddhahood. Vajradhara is revered as
the primordial or Adi Buddha. His mantra – aum ah Guru
Vajradhara hum! – pays obeisance to the one who embodies
the highest level of Enlightenment. Similar iconography
can be seen on a 15th/16th century gilt-bronze figure of
Vajradhara at Ngor Monastery, Tibet, illustrated in Ulrich von
Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, Hong Kong, 2001,
vol. II, pl. 330.
For another 15th century Tibetan zitan figure with similar gilt-
lacquer floral decoration on the robes, see the figure of the
monk in the John and Berthe Ford collection, illustrated in
Pratapaditya Pal, Desire and Devotion: Art from India, Nepal
and Tibet in The John and Berthe Ford Collection, Baltimore,
2001, p. 298, pl. 174.

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