Very rare nine-pronged iron vajra made probably with meteoric iron

Estimated Value:

10.000 € - 15.000 €

Result:

incl. Premium and VAT

Description:

Tibet, ca. 11th cent.
L. 24,7 cm
Iron with dark patina, occasional polished areas. Both ends with nine spokes each (four äußere curved, four inner and one central), emerging from stylised makara köpfen. The centre section is divided into several sections with floral ornaments and beadwork motifs. A red cord is ritually wrapped around the handle - as a blessing or protective thread by Gangteng Tulku Rinpoche Kunzang Pema Namgyal, a high lama of the Pema Lingpa tradition consecrated, images of the consecreation preserved.
Collection Joachim Baader, acquired in the 1980s
The earliest Tibetan iron vajras date back to the 10th-11th centuries and are closely associated with the phyi dar, the “Second Propagation of Buddhism.” While South Asian vajras were made of bronze or brass, a tradition of forged iron examples developed in Tibet, symbolizing power (stobs) and indestructibility (Béguin 1990). The nine-rayed form in particular reflects both the Nine Ways of Bon and the Nine Paths of Vajrayana, indicating religious hybridity (Heller 2010). Their rough, handcrafted execution and reduced ornamentation point to western Tibetan workshops in Guge or Tsaparang (Weldon 2003). These early iron vajras mark the beginning of a genuinely Tibetan ritual metallurgy. (Literature: Béguin, Gilles: Art tibétain: collections du Musée Guimet, Paris 1990; Weldon, David: Tibetan Metalwork of the Early Second Diffusion Period, London 2003; Heller, Amy: Early Himalayan Art and the West Tibetan Kingdoms, Chicago 2010). In tantric Buddhism, the vajra (rDo rje, "thunderbolt") symbolises indestructibility and the transformative power of spiritual awakening. The nine prongs esoterically represent the nine paths or aspects of wisdom in Vajrayana.
Cf. the very similar vajra sold at Sotheby's, New York, 20.3.2013, lot 220 and 19.3.2014, lot 58. See also the vajra published by Bonhams 'Images of Devotion', Hong Kong, 3.10.2017, lot 8 - Typical oxidation due to age and material, beautiful untouched patina

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