Padmasambhava Statue (Guru Rinpoche) – Buddhist Sculpture with Filigree

Padmasambhava, known as Guru Rinpoche, is regarded as one of the central figures of tantric Buddhism in Tibet. His depiction follows the established visual traditions of Vajrayana and refers to his role as a teacher and bearer of the Buddhist teachings..

The sculpture shows Padmasambhava standing on a lotus pedestal. In his right hand he holds a vajra; the left hand carries a skull cup, patra. His staff, the khatvanga, is carried at his side. Padmasambhava wears the royal mantle and the characteristic folded hat.

Garment, pedestal, and aureole are worked with filigree and accented with colored stones. Fine spiral forms, filled with smaller curved elements, create a continuous ornamental pattern. Colored stones are set into the filigree; they structure the surface and form floral elements. Cut stone inlays are also executed on the garment, accentuating individual areas. The curved aureole is worked with filigree and stone setting. An encircling band of stones cut in flame form runs along the edge.

The sculpture follows the image traditions of Vajrayana art in the Kathmandu Valley, where ritual identity, gesture, and ornament are brought together into a carefully balanced iconographic whole.

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.