RARO E GRANDE BRONZO BUDDISTA DI VAJRAPANI

CINA, MARCHIO E PERIODO DI QIANLONG (1736-1795)
A large bronze depicting Vajrapani in his wrathful form, in the pratayalidha pose, one leg bent and the other inclined and straight, on his outstretched arm the hand holds a cleaver and the other hand holding the kapala cup. Up on his head wears a crown of skulls framing his flaming hair, his chest enhanced with a necklace of snakes and jewels, the figure posed upon a large base shaped with lotus petals between a cartridge bearing in lower relief a seven-character mark of Emperor Qianlong. In good conditions, apart the pins of the statue that fixes it to the base have been restored and re-welded in the past, some surface wears and small dents to the edges and some scratches.

36 cm high, 27 cm wide
A RARE LARGE BUDDHIST BRONZE OF VAJRAPANI, CHINA, MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG (1736- 1795)
Provenance: from the private collection of a north Italian gentleman in the property since 1980-90

Note: Vajrapani is represented with great frequency in Buddhist iconography as one of the three protective deities of the Buddha, each of which symbolizes his virtues: Ma\F1jusri (wisdom), Avalokitesvara (compassion) and Vajrapani (power). Vajrapani is considered the savior of snakes (naga), and since nagas are believed to have the power to control rain clouds, Vajrapani as their protector is considered God of rain, and Buddhists pray to him when rain is scarce or is too abundant- for this attribute his cult has merged with that of Indra, the Hindu deity of rain.