Tibetan Buddhist Wrathful Deity - Made in Nepal

$615
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These deities are the fierce guardians of the Dharma and faithful defenders of Buddha. They exemplifly the transformation of the disciple, transmuting aggressiveness and violence into the forces of positiveness. That appearances can be deceiving and things often are not as they seem to be. This is doubly true of the wrathful Buddhist deities. They are terrifying in appearance, bare sharp tusks-teeth, glaring from various angry eyes, wearing crown of skulls and dance on human bodies.

This copper made breathtaking statue of Yamantaka, the 'Lord of Death '- an ambivalent ferocious deity in Vajrayana Buddhism, whose physical appearance is revealing: with a powerful black warrior's body, a leaping tongue in-between the protruding teeth and bulging eyes, extra large ears. wearing a five- skulled (khopdis) red crown, he is riding on the buffalo holding the khadaga in one hand and a very long and powerful pasha( knotted loop ) depicted in 2-3 bounds in second hand. It is a soft weapon representing the power of the deity to capture and bind evil and other obstacles. He symbolises the strength that destroys the illusion which hinders the attainment of enlightenment. Yamantaka is a violent aspect of the Bodhisattva, who assumed this form to Vanquish Yama.

Having wrapped a fierce snake over- the neck – to - stomach and baby snakes as bangles & kadas on hands and legs, he is also wearing a finely carved big haar landing on stomach embedded with some colourful gemstones. They are the teachers and protectors. Their monstrous looks are intended to frighten forces engaged in evil practices. They illustrate that the poisonous energy of negative emotions can be transformed into a positive purifying energy. A person who runs from them in fear is reborn in one of the lower realms. Let the statue speak of its princely artwork to you.

This item can be backordered
Time required to recreate this artwork
4 to 5 weeks
Advance to be paid now
$123 (20%)
Balance to be paid once product is ready
$492
Item Code: ZDX30
Specifications:
Copper Statue
Height: 9.3 inch
Width: 7 inch
Depth: 2.3 inch
Weight: 2.20 kg
Handmade
Handmade
Free delivery
Free delivery
Fully insured
Fully insured
Shipped to 153 countries
Shipped to 153 countries
More than 1M+ customers worldwide
More than 1M+ customers worldwide

How are Nepalese copper statues made?

Nepalese statues and sculptures are best known for their unique small religious figures and ritual paraphernalia for over two thousand years. These are mainly cast in copper alloy. Nepal draws influences from the artistic styles of Buddhism and Hinduism, and therefore the sculptors of the country specialize in making the icons of both these religions. Over the years, Nepalese sculptures evolved into their own distinctive iconography. Some characteristic features of these sculptures that differ from other pieces are exaggerated physical postures, youthful and sensual features, languid eyes, wider faces having serene expressions, and ornate flourishes. The Buddhist deity icons of Nepal have tremendous demand in countries such as China and Tibet for ritual purposes in their temples and monasteries.

Nepalese statues and sculptures have a high copper content and therefore develop a slightly reddish patina on the surface as they age. However, the most unique feature of Nepalese copper statues is their decorative detailing. The pieces are heavily gilded and sometimes inlaid with semi-precious stones. This embellishment protects them from getting tarnished. The traditional lost-wax method for casting Nepalese copper statues remains the most practiced technique in Nepal for many centuries. This process involves many steps and requires skilled artists.

The first step in lost-wax sculpting is to make a wax replica of the desired Buddhist deity to be cast in copper. This replica is created by hand and therefore needs excellent artistic skills otherwise fine features will be lacking.

Once the wax replica is made, it is then coated with a special mixture of clay with a brush. This layer of clay is hardened when left to dry. A small hole is made on the base of the wax mould so that the wax flows away when it is heated.
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At this stage, a hollow mould in the shape of the deity is obtained.

This is the time to pour liquid copper into the hollow mould which is then allowed to cool and harden inside a container of cold water. When the liquid metal has hardened, the mould is removed and the statue within is revealed.
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The artist works on the details of the statue using various tools. It is then polished to get a shiny and lustrous surface.

Now comes the most important part of Nepalese art which is gold gilding. This is done by the traditional fire gilding method. A mixture of mercury and 18K gold is applied on the surface of the statue and heat is applied using a flame torch. The result is that mercury evaporates along with impurities, leaving a pure 24K gold finish.
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The lost-wax method of sculpting is the most preferred technique

for artists to cast a metallic statue having intricate details. Since Nepalese copper sculptures require extraneous effort for giving a majestic look by adding special embellishments, it takes several weeks to complete one masterpiece. A 24K gold gilded copper sculpture retains its brilliant luster for many years and appears as like before. Nepalese sculptures continue to remain one of the finest specimens of the art of the East that have a strong aesthetic appeal that other sculptures cannot match.
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