Padmasambhava Statue (Guru Rinpoche) – Buddhist Sculpture with Filigree

Padmasambhava standing on a lotus pedestal, with aureole. The statue is worked in filigree, gilded and silver plated, and set with colored stones. Known in Tibetan as Guru Rinpoche, he is regarded as one of the central figures of tantric Buddhism and is venerated in the Nyingma tradition as the ’second Buddha’.

Padmasambhava stands upright, both legs evenly loaded in samapada asana. In his right hand he holds a vajra. The left hand rests on the left leg and carries a skull cup, kapala, with an inserted vase. His staff, the khatvanga, is held in the crook of his left arm. Behind him, a curved aureole frames the whole figure. He wears the characteristic robe and the lotus hat.

His robe, pedestal, and aureole are worked in filigree. Spirals from thin wire, filled with small arched elements, are joined in an ornamental pattern. Colored stones are set into the filigree and form floral elements. Cut stone inlays are set into the robe, accentuating individual areas. An encircling band of flame-shaped stones runs along the edge of the aureole.

The statue follows iconographic conventions of Vajrayana art in the Kathmandu Valley, in which posture, gesture, and ornament are brought together in a balanced composition.

Padmasambhava, Guru Rinpoche

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

• Height: 13" / 33 cm
• Width: 7" / 18 cm
• Depth: 3.5" / 8 cm
• Weight: 2.191 g 

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