TIBET, 14TH/15TH CENTURY

Vajrakila is an important meditational deity in the Nyingma, Sakya, Jonang, and Kagyu orders of Tibetan Buddhism. In the Nyingma tradition, such wrathful deities were referred to as Herukas (blood-drinkers) and embodied a meditational focus, such as body, speech or mind. Vajrakila represents the activity aspect of the Heruka tradition. While there are two basic forms of the deity, he is always identified by the purbha dagger he holds in both hands in front of the chest. One form of Vajrakila depicts the deity with a humanoid upper body but with a three-bladed purbha below the waist (see lot 383). In contrast, the present work shows Vajrakila in the traditional Heruka form, with three faces, six hands and four legs.