Bodhisattva Vajrapani (700s): Art, History and Details

Bodhisattva Vajrapani (700s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

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.

Object facts

• Title: Bodhisattva Vajrapani
• Date: 700s
• Culture: Nepal
• Type: Sculpture
• Technique: copper with traces of gilt
• Dimensions: Overall: 17.8 cm (7 in.)
• Collection: Nepalese Art
• Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
• Accession number: 1982.52

Collection credit

John L. Severance Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Lee, Sherman E. “Year in Review for 1982.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 70, no. 1 (1983): 3–55.
• Reedy, Chandra L. Himalayan Bronzes: Technology, Style, and Choices. Newark: University of Delaware Press, 1997.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.