Tibet, Guhyasamaja

As we have seen before, Guhyasamaja is a generic term referring to a semi-wrathful deity with a princely appearance whose main attribute is a magic jewel and/or a wheel and who encompasses four different entities: Shri Hevajra, Guhyasamaja Manjuvajra, Lokeshvara Guhyasamaja, and Akshobhyavajra.

15th century, Tibet, Guhyasama Akshobhya, gilt copper, 20,4 cm, photo: courtesy of Ulrich von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet Volume Two, Visual Dharma Publications, Hong Kong, p. 1056 pl. 268A, Potala Collection, Bla ma lha khang inventory nº 371, Lhasa (Tibet).

15th-16th century, Central Tibet, Sonam Gyaltsen atelier probably, Guhyasamaja, gilt copper alloy with turquoise inlay, 15,4 cm, private collection, Images of Devotion lot 1819, 1st December 2023, Bonhams (Hong Kong).

Akshobhyavajra, the embodiment of consciousness, is always seated in embrace with his consort, Sparsavajra, who has three heads and six arms like him and holds the same attributes. He has frowning eyebrows, bared fangs, and may have a third eye. He holds a vajra sceptre and a vajra bell in his main hands crossed over her back, a wheel (representing Vairocana), a faceted jewel (Ratnasambhava), an 8-petal lotus (Amitabha) and a sword (Amoghasiddhi) in his remaining hands. He has a flaming jewel on top of his chignon and his crown often includes a jewelled wheel at the front.

15th century, Tibet, Guhyasamaja Akshobhya possibly (or retinue figure?), gilt copper, 33,5 cm, photo: courtesy of Ulrich von Schroeder as above, p. 1057 pl. 268C, at the Shalu monastery (Tibet).

Guhyasamaja retinue figures have three heads and six arms and all of them hold a sword, a lotus, a vajra sceptre, a wheel, and a triple gem or a flaming jewel. Depending on which attribute they hold in which hand, they represent one tathagata or the other. The above holds the same attributes as Askhobhyavajra (the sword in his upper left hand is broken).

15th century, Tibet, Guhyasamaja retinue figure, gilt metal with turquoise and pearls, private collection, on HAR

This one holds a visvajra (Amoghasiddhi’s attribute) and a bell in his main hands, a (broken) sword and a missing item, probably a wheel, in the remaining right hands, a flaming jewel and a lotus in the remaining left ones.

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15th-16th century, Tibet, Akshobhyavajra Guhyasamaja, gilt copper alloy with stone inlay, 28 cm, The Claude de Marteau Collection Part IV, lot 25, 6th October 2023, Bonhams (Hong Kong).

Akshobhyavajra and his consort, Sparsavajra, both have three heads and six arms and hold the same implements: a nine-prong vajra sceptre, a wheel, an eight-petal lotus, a faceted jewel, a bell, a sword. They are always seated in embrace and bedecked with crowns and princely jewellery, including rings. He has a semi-wrathful countenance, with frowning eyebrows, bared fangs, and may have a third eye. On paintings he wears a five-leaf crown with an effigy of the direction buddhas, who are also symbolised through five of his attributes: the wheel represents Vairocana, the vajra sceptre represents Akshobhya, the lotus represents Amitabha, the jewel represents Ratnasambhava, and the sword represents Amoghasiddhi.

15th century, Tibet, Guhyasamaja, gilt copper alloy with turquoise inlay, 20 cm, private collection, Indian and Himalayan Art lot 107, 21st March 2023, Sotheby’s

15th century, Tibet, Guhyasamaja – Akshobhyavajra, gilt metal with turquoise inlay and paint, private collection, photo 9231 on Himalayan Art Resources

17th-18th century, Tibet, Guhyasamaja, gilt bronze with turquoise inlay, cold gold, pigments, 17,1 cm, inventory nº 74-36/46 at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City (USA).

Guhyasamaja, which means ‘secret assembly’ or ‘secret union’, is a generic term that may refer to a form of Lokeshavara, a form of Manjushri, Shri Hevajra, or Akshobhyavajra.

Tibet, Akshobhyavajra (8)

15th century, Central Tibet, probably from the Sonam Gyaltsen atelier, Akshobhyavajra Guhyasamaja, gilt copper alloy, 51,5 cm, The Claude de Marteau Collection, photo and extensive notes by Jing Wen on Bonhams (Paris).

Seated in embrace with his consort, Akshobhyavajra, a meditational deity with three heads (often with a third eye) and six arms, embodies consciousness and displays the attributes of the five direction buddhas. He holds a vajra sceptre (symbolising Akshobhya, of which he is an emanation) and a vajra bell in his main hands, an eight-petal lotus (Amitabha) and an eight-spoke wheel (Vairocana) in the remaining right hands, a sword (Amoghasiddhi) and a faceted jewel (Ratnasambhava) in the remaining left hands (the order may vary but the sword is always in one of his left hands). Sparsavajra has the same amount of heads and arms, and she carries the same attributes.

Tibet, Akshobhyavajra (7)

Most sculptures labelled ‘Guhyasamaja’ refer to the Akshobhyavajra aspect of this meditational deity, whose name means ‘secret assembly’ or ‘secret union’. When some of the attributes are missing, he is sometimes confused with a three-head and six-arm form of Manjushri; however, the latter holds the sword in his upper right hand while Akshobhyavajra holds it in one of his left hands. Also, as pointed out by Edward Wilkinson from Bonhams in one of his enthralling lot essays, Akshobhyavajra may have a third eye but Manjuvajra doesn’t, he has an urna instead (although we did come across one exception).

Circa 1370, Tibet, Densatil, Guhyasamaja, gilt copper alloy, Reting monastery (Tibet), published by Ulrich von Schroeder, Fig. 121 in Jean-Luc Estournel‘s catalogue raisonné.

 Always seated with his legs locked and in embrace with his consort, who has the same morphology and holds the same attributes, he has a semi-wrathful countenance and a princely appearance. 

Circa 1431-1432, Tibet, Densatil, Guhyasamaja, gilt copper, 22 cm, Jokhang/gTsug Lakhang collection, Lhasa, inventory nº 123, on Ulrich von Schroeder(dated 16th century), Fig. 284 in the above-mentioned catalogue raisonné. (We  also saw  Fig. 181 in a previous post).

His main hands, crossed over his consort’s back, hold a vajra sceptre and a vajra bell (symbolising the addi buddha Vajradhara). The other hands hold an eight-spoke wheel (symbolising Vairocana), a 9-facet jewel (symbolising Ratnasambhava), an 8-petal lotus (symbolising Amitabha), a sword (symbolising Amoghasiddhi). On this example the lotus seat is placed on a cut-out plinth decorated with elephants and an upright vajra sceptre between flowing ribbons. Thanks to Jean-Luc Estournel’s meticulous study on Densatil, some sculptures with a similar plinth previously dated 14th, 15th, and 16th century can now be narrowed down to the first half of the 15th century.

15th century, Tibet, Guhyasamaja, gilt copper alloy, private collection, photo on Christie’s, Paris

It is unusual for his consort (named Mamaki on HAR while other sources call her Sparsavajra) to have only one head, as appears to be the case here.

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15th-16th century, Tibet, Guhyasamaja Akshobhyavajra and adhiprajna, gilt bronze, private collection, photo on Christie’s

We saw this couple seated on the same type of lotus base with swollen petals grouped in fours, with blue pigment (rather than black) for the hair (compare here ). He holds a vajra sceptre and a vajra bell in his main hands, a six-spoke wheel and a faceted jewel in the remaining right hands, a lotus and a sword in the remaining left hands, she holds the same attributes.

15th century, Tibet, Guhyasamaja and his consort, gilt bronze, private collection, photo on Christie’s, Paris.

18th century, Tibet, Guhyasamaja, gilt bronze with pigments, private collection, photo on Christie’s, London

Guhyasamaja is a generic term, which means ‘secret assembly’ or ‘secret union’, for one of the most important deities of the tantric Buddhist pantheon. Usually seated, he always has a princely appearance with a semi-wrathful countenance. Akshobhyavajra is one of the four forms (the others are Lokeshvara Guhyasamaja, hardly ever seen in the form of a sculpture, Shri Hevajra, and a form of Manjushri known as Guhyasamaja Manjuvajra).

Early 18th century, Tibet, Guhyasamaja Akshobhyavajra (labelled ‘Buddha and Shiva’), gilt bronze and turquoise inlay, private collection, photo by De Baecque, 30th October 2019 lot 140.

Akshobhyavajra is always seated in embrace with Mamaki, his consort (or prajna).

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15th century, Tibet, Sonam Gyaltsen & Atelier, Akshobhyavajra, gilt metal (copper alloy with pigment and turquoise inlay), photo on Himalayan Art Resources .

15th century, Tibet, Sonam Gyaltsen & Atelier, Akshobhyavajra, gilt metal (copper alloy with pigment and turquoise inlay), photo on HAR , at the Palace Museum in Beijing (China).

The Akshobhyavajra aspect of Guhyasamaja is regarded as an emanation of buddha Akshobhya and has a dark blue body on paintings. He always sits in embrace with Mamaki, they both have three heads, six arms, and hold the same attributes: a vajra sceptre, a vajra bell, a sword, a jewel, a lotus, a wheel.

17th century, Tibet, (Akshobhyavajra) Guhyasamaja, gilt copper (with cold gold and pigments), photo on Kenneth Chu , at the Tibet Museum in Lhasa (Tibet).

15th century, Tibet, Akshobhyavajra Guhyasamaja, gilt metal (copper alloy) with turquoise and glass replacement, private collection, photo on Himalayan Art Resources

She has the same morphology and holds the same attributes.

15th century, Tibet, (Akshobhyavajra) Guhyasamaja, gilt bronze, private collection, photo by Gu Tian Yi Auctions on HAR .

18th century (or earlier?), Tibet, (Akshobhyavajra) Guhyasamaja, private collection, photo on Pierre Bergé

Tibet, Akshobhyavajra (4)

Late 17th century, Tibet, (Akshobhyavajra) Guhyasamaja, gilt bronze (with turquoise inlay, cold gold and pigments), private collection, photo on Cambi Casa d’Aste

The three-head and six-arm deity is always seated in embrace with his consort, Mamaki, holding a vajra sceptre and bell in his main hands crossed over her back, a wheel and a sword in his lower hands, a faceted jewel and a lotus in his upper hands, his chignon topped with a flaming jewel. Their faces are painted with cold gold and pigments.

She also has three heads and six hands and normally holds the same attributes although on this occasion she seems to be holding lotuses instead of the faceted jewel.

15th century, Tibet, (Akshobhyavajra) Guhyasamaja, gilt metal with turquoise inlay (and cold gold, pigments, coral and lapis lazuli), private collection, photo onHAR.

On this earlier work the wheel (which looks like a flower) is inlaid with turquoise and coral, the other attributes are surrounded with a flame. He often has a third eye, clearly visible here.

16th century, Tibet, (Akshobhyavajra) Guhyasamaja, gilt bronze with turquoise inlay, private collection, photo on Nagel

His earrings are usually flower-shaped wheels, sometimes studded with turquoise at the centre as above, or plain as below, or with inlaid with turquoise cabochons, as on the previous item.

15th century, Tibet, Guhyasamaja, Akshobhyavajra, gilt bronze (copper alloy) with cold gold and turquoise inlay, private collection, photo on Christie’s

Tibet, Akshobhyavajra (3)

Undated (15th or 16th century?), Tibet, Guhyasamaja, Akshobhyavajra, gilt metal, private collection, item 32333 on Himalayan Art Resources.

Akshobhyavajra, a meditational deity with three heads and six arms, sits in embrace with his consort, who also has three heads and six arms.

15th or 16th century?, Tibet, Akshobhyavajra, gilt metal with pigment and stones, private collection, item 32334 on HAR.

They hold the same attributes: a wheel, a vajra sceptre, a sword, a bell,  a lotus and a jewel, and are bedecked with princely jewellery and a crown.

16th century, Tibet, Guhyasamaja, Akshobhyavajra, gilt copper alloy, private collection, photo on Nagel.

His chignon is usually adorned with a flaming jewel and may have a small effigy of a buddha, barely perceptible behind the crown (in this case one holding a triple gem according to Nagel).

16th century, Tibet, Akshobhyavajra (labelled Kalachakra), gilt bronze (copper alloy), private collection, photo on Christie’s, Paris.

The Akshobhyavajra form of Guhyasamaja and his consort always hold a vajra sceptre and a bell in their main hands, his are crossed behind her back, hers are behind his neck. The order of the remaining attributes varies. Here is holds a dharma wheel decorated with turquoise cabochon in his lower right hand and a lotus flower in the next one up. His left hands hold a sword and a flaming triple gem (triratna).

16th-17th century, Tibet, Guhyasamaja (Akshobhyavajra), gilt copper alloy, private collection, photo on Christie’s.

The vajra sceptre they hold is the symbol of Akshobhya, the wheel is the symbol of Vairocana, the lotus represents Amitabha, the jewel is the symbol of Ratnasambhava and the sword is associated with Amoghasiddhi.

Tibet, Akshobhyavajra (2)

Akshobhyavajra, the most common form of Guhyasamaja in sculpture, is always seated in embrace with his consort.

14th century, Tibet, Akshobhyavajra Guhyasamaja, gilt metal and stone inlay, Densatil style, private collection, published on Himalayan Art Resources, item 32089. Update 23/2/22: circa 1386, Densatil, Fig. 181 in Jean-Luc Estournel ‘s catalogue raisonné.

He has three heads with three eyes (sometimes two), his hair is gathered in a chignon topped with a finial, usually a flaming jewel. He is adorned with princely accessories (crown and  jewellery). Although sculptures often show him with a peaceful countenance, written sources describe him as having a frown and baring his fangs. In his six hands he holds various attributes including a wheel (cakra) and a sword, the main hands clutch a vajra sceptre and a bell while embracing the consort. The other two attributes are a lotus and a jewel. She has three heads and six hands and holds the same attributes as him.

15th century, Tibet, Guhyasamaja Akshobhyavajra with consort, gilt metal and turquoise inlay, photo on HAR at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York (USA).

15th century, Tibet, (Akshobhyavajra) Guhyasamaja with consort, gilt copper alloy, photo on HAR, at the Rubin Museum of Art as before.

On paintings, his five-leaf crown has an effigy of a wisdom buddha on each leaf. On Nepalese-style gilt sculptures, there is a Kirtimukha design on the front (as on bodhisattva crowns).

15th century, Tibet, Akshobhyavajra Guhyasamaja, gilt copper, private collection?, photo on pinterest, no source or photo credits quoted.

The above has a half vajra finial. Their hair has been dyed with blue pigment (probably lapiz lazuli powder)  and their faces are painted with cold gold and pigments. Their lower garment is incised with a floral design.

15th century, Tibet, (Akshobhyavajra) Guhyasamaja, gilt copper alloy with stone inlay, private collection, photo on Christie’s

Tibet, Akshobhyavajra

According to textual sources, there are three forms of the meditational deity known as Guhyasamaja, one of them is Akshobhyavajra.

15th century, Tibet, Guhyasamaja – Askhobhyavajra, gilt copper alloy inlaid with turquoise, private collection, photo on HAR.

15th-16th century, Tibet, Guhyasamaja (Akshobhyavajra), gilt bronze, photo on Christie’s.

In this form he has three heads, each with two or three eyes and bared fangs, five-leaf crowns, bodhisattva attire and jewellery. He sits in an embrace with his consort, Mamaki, who also has three heads and six hands. They hold the same attributes: a thunderbolt, a bell, a wheel, a lotus flower, a sword, a magic jewel. He wears a jewel in one of his crowns and/or on top of his hair drawn into a chignon.

15th-16th century, Tibet, Guhyasamaja, gilt copper alloy with cold gold and turquoise inlay, private collection, photo by Collin du Bocage, 24th June 2016 lot 297.

15th century, Tibet, Akshobhyavajra, gilt metal (with recent cold gold, pigments, turquoise inlay), private collection, photo on Himalayan Art Resources .

A rare example, with an openwork plinth made of vajra sceptres and vases, above a row of beading and below a row of scrolling vines.