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 belongs to the central figures of Vajrayana and is closely associated with ritual practice.

Vajrasattva is seated on a lotus base 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 led slightly forward and carries the bell, ghanta. The consort holds a skull cup, kapala, in her left hand and a vajra in her right. Both figures wear the crown and the full ornaments of a bodhisattva. The consort is shown wearing only her ornaments.

His robe and the lotus base are decorated with filigree. Fine wires are shaped into spiral forms and filled with small arched elements, assembled into a clearly structured ornament. Set stones are integrated into the pattern, complementing the filigree work with floral motifs in bud form.

The sculpture follows Vajrayana visual traditions of the Kathmandu Valley, in which ritual identity and sculptural form are closely intertwined.

Vajrasattva 

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

• Height: 16.5 cm / 6.5"
• Width: 11.5 cm / 4.5"
• Depth: 9 cm / 3.5"
• Weight: 1,038 g

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