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Vajra - Vajra

Vajra

  • Object:

    Vajra

  • Place of origin:

    Tibet (made)

  • Date:

    12th century (made)

  • Artist/Maker:

    Unknown

  • Materials and Techniques:

    Steel and gold

  • Credit Line:

    Supported by John and Fausta Eskenazi

  • Museum number:

    IS.10-2008

  • Gallery location:

    Buddhism, Room 17, The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Galleries of Buddhist Art, case 2

The vajra or "Diamond Sceptre" is a quintessential Tibetan Buddhist object representing the 'diamond like' fundamental nature of the enlightened state as unsheakable and indivisible. This example has the more unusual nine rather than five prongs which probably relates to particular ritual uses. It belongs to an early group of vajras decorated with rows of staring heads dating to between the 11th and 14th centuries.

Physical description

A steel and gold Vajra from Tibet

Place of Origin

Tibet (made)

Date

12th century (made)

Artist/maker

Unknown

Materials and Techniques

Steel and gold

Dimensions

Length: 18 cm

Object history note

Owned by the family of Sywambunath Vajracharya and brought out of Tibet to Nepal in circa 1950.

Descriptive line

A Tibetan steel and gold Vajra

Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)

Orientations; vol. 40. no. 4; May 2009; The Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Gallery, Victoria & Albert Museum.
Clarke, John: Buddhist Sculpture, p. 38.

Subjects depicted

Buddhism

Categories

Religion; Buddhism; Metalwork

Collection

South & South East Asia Collection

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