Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi
late 18th century
Asia: China
Not on View

In this dramatic image, Chakrasamvara, whose name means “joined to the wheel of wisdom and bliss,” is locked in a sensual embrace with his spouse Vajravarahi. Their coupling, known as yab-yum, or “father-mother” posture, symbolizes the union of wisdom and compassion. Each of Chakrasamvara’s four faces has a fierce expression, a third eye and a skull tiara. In addition, he wears garlands of skulls and severed heads, and his 12 arms hold various attributes: a lasso and arrow, as well as a thunderbolt and bell in his principal hands, crossed in front of Vajravarahi. The other symbolic weapons, which were attached separately, have been lost over time.

Details

  • Title: Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi
  • Date: late 18th century
  • Medium: Gilt bronze inlaid with gemstones and pigments
  • Dimensions: 13-7/8 x 10 x 5-7/8 in. (35.2 x 25.4 x 14.9 cm)
  • Credit Line: Norton Simon Art Foundation, from the Estate of Jennifer Jones Simon
  • Accession Number: M.2010.1.44.S
  • Copyright: © Norton Simon Art Foundation

Object Information

Chinese Art from the Permanent Collection

  • Norton Simon Museum, 2004-06-18 to 2004-09-20

Divine Demons: Wrathful Deities of Buddhist Art

  • Norton Simon Museum, 2009-08-14 to 2010-03-08

In the Land of Snow: Buddhist Art of the Himalayas

  • Norton Simon Museum, 2014-03-28 to 2014-08-25
  • Pal, Pratapaditya, Asian Art at the Norton Simon Museum, Volume 2: Art from the Himalayas & China, 2003, no. 87 pp. 9, 132-133
  • Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 1033 p. 365

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