A TIBETAN BRONZE SCULPTURE OF DORJE DROLO

18TH/19TH CENTURY

Dorje Drolo wears flowing robes, a crown and a garland of severed heads. His flaming hair rises upwards above his head, he brandishes a vajra and a phurbu and is surrounded by a halo of flames in which are placed miniature images of Garuda and a scorpion. The growling tigress sits on two prostrate figures supported on a lotus base,15.2cm, 470g.

Provenance: a London collection from 2003.

Dorje Drolo is one of the eight manifestations of Padmasambhava, the renowned 8th century Indian Tantric master and founder of the Nyingma school of Buddhism. According to legend, Padmasambhava assumed this form when he flew through the air on a tigress' back to teach Buddhism in Bhutan.