A Gilt Copper Figure of Yogambara - Nepal, c13th Century






The artist has masterfully rendered the complex iconography of two intertwined bodies, imbuing the figures with a sense of tenderness and calm. The sculpture bears the hallmarks of Nepalese craftsmanship - beautifully gilded copper, jewelry delicately inlaid with gems. The physiognomy is also Nepalese

Entwined in a lovers' embrace, Yogambara and Jnanadakini symbolize blissful transcendence, the experiential goal and highest teaching of Esoteric Buddhism.

The three-headed, six-armed god caresses Jnanadakini's breast with one hand, holding the skullcup, arrow (now missing), bow, bell, and thunderbolt scepter (vajra) in arms held with a dancer's poise, Jnanadakini meets Yogambara's gaze as she wraps herself around his torso, both deities' belts are unhooked, their clasps ajar at their backs.

Source: bonhams.com