Vajrasattva Yab Yum Statue – Buddhist Figure with Filigree

Vajrasattva, known in Tibetan Buddhism as Dorje Sempa, is shown here with his consort in Yab Yum. As the bodhisattva of purification, he occupies a central position within Vajrayana and is closely associated with ritual practice.

Vajrasattva is seated on a lotus pedestal in padma asana, his consort seated facing him on his lap. His arms are crossed behind her back: the right hand holds a vajra at the level of her shoulder blades, while the left arm is extended slightly forward and carries the bell, ghanta. The consort holds a skull cup, kapala, in her left hand and a kartika in her right. Both figures wear the crown and the full ornaments of a bodhisattva. The consort is shown dressed only with her ornaments.

His robe and the pedestal are decorated with filigree. Fine wires are shaped into spiral forms, filled with small arched elements, and joined into an ornamental pattern. Set stones are integrated into the filigree; together with the wirework, they form floral motifs. The figure is worked all around and suitable for freestanding presentation.

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

Vajrasattva 

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

• Height: 9.5" / 24 cm
• Width: 6.5" / 16.5 cm
• Depth: 4.5" / 11.5 cm
• Weight: 2,192 g

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