Tibetan Gilt Bronze Vajrasattva Figure, 17th-18th Century

A Tibetan gilt bronze figure of a Vajrasattva, 17th -18th century, finely cast, the bejewelled figure seated on a double lotus pedestal, holding a vajra and a bell, sealed with Visvajra. Vajrasattva is a bodhisattva in the Mahayana, Mantrayana and Vajrayana Buddhist traditions. He is the sovereign of all the buddha families and mandalas. In Tibetan Buddhism, Vajrasattva practice is an essential element of Tibetan Buddhist practice, the practices are common to all of the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism and are used both to purity obscurations and also to purify any broken samaya vows after initiation., 5.51 in. high. Provenance: Christopher Knapton, Knapton & Rasti Asian Art, London

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Bronze - An alloy of copper and tin, traditionally in the proportions of about 9 parts of copper to 1 part of tin.

The discovery of bronze in Western Asia in the 4th century enabled people to create metal objects which were superior to those previoulsy possible because of its strength and hardness, and it has been used throughout the world for weapons, coins, tools, statuary and other decorative items.

It is very fluid in a molten state, and its hardness, strength when set, and non-corrosive properties makes it most suitable for casting sculpture.

This item has been included into following indexes:

Oriental deities, bronze
- Bodhisattva 56
- Buddha 659
- Tibetan deities 132
oriental deities, bronze - Vajrasattva, 5
Oriental deities, Tibetan and Sino-Tibetan - Buddha and other deities 271