Cleveland Museum of Art

Bodhisattva Vajrapani

Date

700s

Medium

copper with traces of gilt

Culture

Nepal

Department

Indian and Southeast Asian Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

One of the earliest surviving tantric sculptures, this figure of Vajrapani—"he who holds the lightning bolt"—places his hand on a vajra , a thunder bolt symbol that refers to the lightning speed with which practitioners may achieve enlightenment when they follow tantric techniques. The prongs of the lightning bolt are in his hair; his arms are crossed, and a knotted snake is slung around his hips. Vajrapani's elaborate hairstyle, along with the gentle articulation of the cloth, subtly swaying postures, and introspective expressions are close derivations from 5th-century models, thereby implying an early date for the bronze.

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