ABS 187
Code: ABS 187
Country: Tibet
Style: Nepalese School
Date: 1500 - 1600
Dimensions in cm WxHxD: 24.8 x 28.5 x 10
Materials: Gilt copper; inset with turquoise
Chakrasamvara united with his consort Vajravarahi.
Trampling upon the obstacles to realization, the four-faced, twelve-armed meditation deity Chakrasamvara passionately embraces his consort Vajravarahi. His twelve hands wield various attributes and unfurl a flayed elephant skin. He has four faces of which one is yellow, one green, and one red. His gaze is intense, and his fanged mouth is half-opened in an attitude known as "half-peaceful, half-wrathful". In union, his red naked consort Vajravārāhī embraces his waist with her right leg and presents him with a blood-filled cranial cup. Their sexual union represents the inseparable union of wisdom and skillful means.
Chakrasamvara is one of the most famous meditation deities or yidam of the New Translation schools of Tibetan Buddhism, including Sakya, Kagyü, and Geluk. During the rituals, the practitioner visualizes himself as the divine couple in order to reveal his potential for reaching Buddhahood.
This representation is an artistic and technical feat that marvelously illustrates the quality of Nepalese production adapted to Tibetan taste. The suppleness of the multi-armed bodies, the meticulous details, jewels, and macabre ornaments as well as the delicacy of the gilding demonstrate the mastery of Newar craftsmen from the Kathmandu valley.
Trampling upon the obstacles to realization, the four-faced, twelve-armed meditation deity Chakrasamvara passionately embraces his consort Vajravarahi. His twelve hands wield various attributes and unfurl a flayed elephant skin. He has four faces of which one is yellow, one green, and one red. His gaze is intense, and his fanged mouth is half-opened in an attitude known as "half-peaceful, half-wrathful". In union, his red naked consort Vajravārāhī embraces his waist with her right leg and presents him with a blood-filled cranial cup. Their sexual union represents the inseparable union of wisdom and skillful means.
Chakrasamvara is one of the most famous meditation deities or yidam of the New Translation schools of Tibetan Buddhism, including Sakya, Kagyü, and Geluk. During the rituals, the practitioner visualizes himself as the divine couple in order to reveal his potential for reaching Buddhahood.
This representation is an artistic and technical feat that marvelously illustrates the quality of Nepalese production adapted to Tibetan taste. The suppleness of the multi-armed bodies, the meticulous details, jewels, and macabre ornaments as well as the delicacy of the gilding demonstrate the mastery of Newar craftsmen from the Kathmandu valley.