Antique large gilt bronze Buddha of Vajrapani. Tibetan gilt bronze Bodhisattva Tantric Buddha figure of Mahakala Deity in manifestation Vajrapani. Appears in the form of a Raksha, with three large staring eyes, a gaping mouth with bared canine teeth and reddish-orange beard, eyebrows and hair flowing upward like flame. The body is squat, large and fleshy. Adorned with a crown of five skulls with red pendants and gold earrings, bone necklace and bracelets, anklets, and a large snake, he wears a long scarf and a lower garment of tiger skin tied with a green sash. With the left leg bent and the right extended above an oval lotus blossom pedestal. Vajrapani stands in pristine awareness. The bronze is bright and lustrous as the light is easily reflected from the well-polished surfaces. The plaques split in the middle section, and fitted perfectly upon each other. There is a light grey patina noted in several creases. The underside with incised Quadra-petal flori-form visvavajra mark and centralized DaiJiMeasurements: Height: 14" Width: 10-1/4"Lot Notes:Vajrapani is the name of a deity to be contemplated upon by a practitioner purifying his correspondences (viSuddhi), according to the Abhisamayamanjari. Vajrapani is associated with the ears and the color black. He is to be visualized as holding an attribute in his right hand and a bell in his left. The deities of the sense organs and fields are the esoteric equivalents of the deities associated with the skandhas. Vajrapani is the name of an ancient Tibetan tantric deity. The iconographic group of Vajrapani and the eight Naga Kings is so far scarcely studied. As is well-known, Mahayana considers Vajrapani as one of the eight great Bodhisattvas, disciples of the Buddha and the major auditor and protector of Tantric texts received from the Buddha in the form of Vajradhara. It is no surprise then that his image obtained an important place in the Vajrayana tradition. The image of the Two-Handed Wrathful Vajrapani is among the most wide-spread and familiar in Tibetan Buddhist arts. In the SarvadurgatipariSodhana-tantra, Vajrapani is depicted as an one-faced, two-handed deity of white color and peaceful appearance, the eight Naga Kings located in petals of a lotus surrounding the central figure. The joint use of their images in one maṇá¸ala can be connected with a legend on the taming of a gigantic serpent by the Buddha in Uddayana when he appointed Vajrapaṇi the protector of the nagas against their enemies Garuá¸as. At the same time, Vajrapaṇi is a commander of the Nagas and can be depicted in the wrathful form.