3. STATUETTE DE VAJRAPANI EN ALLIAGE DE CUIVRE DORÉ DYNASTIE QING, XVIIIE SIÈCLE Himalayan Art Resources item no. 4876 15.5 cm (6 1/8 in.) high A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF VAJRAPANI QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY 清 十八世紀 銅鎏金金剛手菩薩像 Provenance: With Claude de Marteau, Brussels, by 1970s Holding the thunderbolt (vajra) in his raised right hand, Vajrapani lunges fiercely with his right leg bent in warrior's pose (pratyalidha sana). He wears a tiger skin around his waist, a snake draped over his shoulder, with a protruding belly adorned in abundant jewelry. Depicted with a wrathful face, his gaping mouth and wavy brows are framed within a crown of skulls and wild, fiery hair. As 'the Lord of Secrets', he is the holder and protector of all Tantric texts received from the Buddha Shakyamuni. Compare with similar examples of Vajrapani, one sold at Christie's, New York, 17 September 1998, lot 124 and another sold at Bonhams, New York, 14 September 2016, lot 64.