Marpa Lotsawa Statue – Buddhist Figure with Filigree

Marpa Lotsawa, founder of the Kagyu lineage and teacher of Milarepa. The robe and pedestal are worked in filigree and decorated with colored stones.

Marpa, known by the title Lotsawa (translator), played a decisive role in transmitting Buddhist teachings from India to Tibet. As a direct student of Naropa, he brought important Mahamudra and Vajrayana teachings to Tibet and is regarded as the founder of the Kagyu school. As the teacher of Milarepa, he shaped the early development of this lineage.

The statue depicts Marpa seated on a half-round base. His legs are loosely crossed, the hands rest over the knees, and the middle fingers touch the ground. The torso is upright, and the abdomen slightly rounded. The garment is high-collared and crossed at the front, covering the entire upper body, arms, and legs.

Both his garment and the pedestal are worked in filigree. Thin wires are shaped into spirals, filled with smaller arched elements, and assembled into an ornamental pattern. Colored stones accent the decoration. A central rosette marks the centre on the back of the figure.

The statue follows the image traditions of Vajrayana art in the Kathmandu Valley, in which ritual identity, gesture, and ornament are brought together into a balanced iconographic unity.

Guru Marpa

Statue made of copper, traditional lost-wax cast, filigree, gold- and silver-plated, set with colored stones. The figure is patinated. The face is set in gold. Handcrafted in Nepal.

• Height: 20,5 cm
• Width: 18 cm
• Depth: 10 cm
• Weight: 1857 g

NOTE
The face paint is a cold gold application and water-soluble.