Jetsun Milarepa Filigree Statues

Jetsun Milarepa is regarded as one of the most influential figures in Tibetan Buddhism. As a disciple of Marpa Lotsawa, he played a central role in the early transmission of the Kagyu lineage. His poetic teachings, known as The Hundred Thousand Songs, are among the most renowned texts of the Tibetan tradition.

The statue depicts Milarepa seated in a relaxed posture. The pose is half-closed, lalit asana. His right hand is raised behind the ear with outstretched fingers, as if listening to the echoes of nature—a characteristic gesture of his iconographic representation. In his left hand, he holds a patra, skull bowl.
Milarepa sits on a gazelle skin that lies flat upon a rectangular, two-tiered pedestal. Both tiers are encircled by a continuous band of set stones. The gazelle head is modeled in slight relief at the front, while the four legs of the skin are integrated into the ornamental design. The pedestal rests on six abstract, ornamental feet reminiscent of animal heads. They are broader at the top, taper downward, and are slightly angled back.

The garment, gazelle skin, and pedestal are fully worked with filigree and accented with colored stones. The filigree structures consist of guided spiral forms, rhythmically articulated through stone settings. Figurative and ornamental elements merge seamlessly, integrating the gazelle skin into the surrounding ornamentation.

Jetsun Milarepa

Copper statue, lost-wax cast, decorated with filigree, gold- and silver-plated, set with colored stones. The figure is patinated. The face is set in gold. Handcrafted in Nepal.

• Height: 13.5 cm
• Width: 12.5 cm
• Depth: 9 cm
• Weight: 816 g
   

NOTE
The facial painting is a cold gold application and water-soluble.