Finely cast, seated in dhyanasana on a sealed double-lotus pedestal, holding a vajra in his right hand and a vessel in his left. Wearing heavy monastic robes with neatly engraved hems decorated with floral designs, the gilt face bearing a benevolent expression with full red lips, downcast eyes highlighted with gouache pigments beneath sinuous brows, centered by a raised urna, wearing a pema hat with double vajra on the front. His earrings and the double vajra inlaid with turquoise stones. The base is sealed and engraved with the Eight Buddhist emblems (bajixiang).

Inscriptions: Incised at the back of the base in Tibetan script ‘Aeh Mah Ho Thangpo Guru Tsam Geh Bohontsul Ne Kahm Tsum, Semchen Deh la Koh Guru Pedma Jugne Yin (Padmasambhava): Om ha hum vajra guru Padma siddhi hum.’

Provenance: From an old German private collection. Collection of Carlos Cruañas Dalmau, Barcelona, Spain, acquired from the above.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, some casting irregularities, light tarnishing, and rubbing to the gilt and silvering. Scepter lost.

Weight: 1,482 g
Dimensions: Height 19.2 cm

Literature comparison:
Compare a gilt- and silvered-bronze figure of Padmasambhava with coral and turquoise inlays, similarly modeled, 16.5 cm high, dated to the 15^th century, in the Rubin Museum of Art, accession number C2005.16.36.

The mantra of Padmasambhava is inscribed after the name of the great Lama on the present lot. His mantra begins ‘Om ha hum,’ the seed syllables of the three vajras (of body, speech, and mind). According to Jamyang Wangpo, ‘Vajra’ within the mantra signifies the dharmakaya since it cannot be ‘cut’ or destroyed by the elaborations of conceptual thought. ‘Guru’ signifies the sambhogakaya, which is ‘heavily’ laden with the qualities of the seven aspects of union. ‘Padma’ refers to the nirmanakaya, the radiant awareness of the wisdom of discernment arising from the lotus family of enlightened speech. ‘Siddhi’ recalls the qualities of the great Guru of Oḍdiyana, who was freed from conceptual thought and achieved ‘Siddhi,’ all the supreme accomplishments, through the power of this prayer and meditation.

Padmasambhava (literally ‘lotus-born’ in Sanskrit), also known as Guru Rinpoche among Tibetans, is believed to be one of the principal masters to bring Buddhism to Tibet and to teach the tantras in the 8th century. He is depicted in numerous forms with different names representing outer, inner and secret aspects of his spiritual being, with the change of names following the chronology of his life story. In the 5th century BC, Buddha Shakyamuni arrived as the founder of Buddhism. His teachings were subsumed by the Sutrayana and the Tantryana. In the 8th century, Padmasambhava personified the guru principle, the ritualistic path of Buddhism and the heart of Vajrayana Buddhism. They are exemplified in its flourishing after it was introduced into Tibet and the Himalayas between the 7th and 11th centuries. Because of Padmasambhava's teachings and contribution, he is known as the ‘Second Buddha.’

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Bonhams London, 12 November 2015, lot 75
Price: GBP 21,250 or approx. EUR 37,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A gilt-copper figure of Padmasambhava, Tibet, 17^th/18^th century
Expert remark: Compare the related modeling and subject with turquoise inlays. Note the lack of silvering.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s Paris, 13 December 2017, lot 174
Price: EUR 18,750 or approx. EUR EUR 22,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A bronze figure of Padmasambhava, Tibet, 18^th century
Expert remark: Compare the related form and modeling. Note the different base. Note the size (18.5 cm).