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The artists of Dolonnor, in Inner Mongolia, were masters of repoussé, and in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries they produced many Tibetan Buddhist images for China’s Manchu imperial court and monasteries across the Tibetan Buddhist world. This sculpture’s separately attached ornaments made of thin strips of hammered copper, such as the elephant skin draped over Vajrabhairava’s shoulder, are characteristic of the Dolonnor style.
Vajrabhairava
OriginInner Mongolia
Date19th century
Dimensions18 5/8 × 11 3/4 × 7 1/8 in.
MediumMetal with applied ornaments and pigments
Classification(s)
Credit LineRubin Museum of Art
Object numberC2005.27.3
Himalayan Art Resources Number65552
DescriptionVajrabhairava is one of the most important deities of the Geluk School of Tibetan Buddhism, which has dominated Mongolian religious life in recent centuries. This sculpture is assembled from pieces of copper that have been shaped by hammering them from behind, a technique known as repoussé. The joints where the various pieces have been connected are hidden by the figure’s decorative elements such as armlets and bracelets, while the hands and feet were cast separately using the lost wax technique.The artists of Dolonnor, in Inner Mongolia, were masters of repoussé, and in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries they produced many Tibetan Buddhist images for China’s Manchu imperial court and monasteries across the Tibetan Buddhist world. This sculpture’s separately attached ornaments made of thin strips of hammered copper, such as the elephant skin draped over Vajrabhairava’s shoulder, are characteristic of the Dolonnor style.
Not on view
17th or 18th century
14th century
early 20th century
19th century (?)
18th - 19th century
ca. 19th century
early 20th century
late 19th century
13th century
