Kalamandu
Oku Bahal Shilpa

Vajrapani

Oxidized copper, wrathful, painted face

NPR 96,000

Quantity

KLM-VAJRAP-PF-09

Standing in the warrior stance on a lotus, vajra raised overhead, snake at the throat and a tiger skin at the waist. Bodhisattva of the buddhas' power, shown wrathful — the face is painted, with gilt on the brows, fangs and hair.

What to expect from this order

  • Cast by hand in a named workshop

    Made by Oku Bahal Shilpa in the Kathmandu valley, and paid for directly. About the workshop

  • Dispatched in two working days

    Tracked the whole way. Anything over 10 kg travels by freight on a booked slot. Shipping and delivery

  • Nothing charged now

    Pay the courier on delivery, or by wallet or bank transfer once we have confirmed the piece. How paying works

  • 14 days to change your mind

    Return it within 14 days of delivery, in the condition it arrived in. Refund policy

The detail

Measurements, materials and how this one was made — the facts a photograph cannot carry.

Deity
Vajrapani
Finish
Painted face
Posture
Standing
Inlay
None

Material
Copper

Technique
Lost-wax cast
Origin district
Lalitpur (Patan)
Artisan
Oku Bahal workshop, Patan

Width
10.5 cm
Length
8.7 cm
Height
22.9 cm
Weight
3.1 kg

Wrathful faces are painted by a specialist rather than the caster. The expression has to read as fierce without tipping into ugly, and getting the eyes right is a matter of about four brushstrokes that a person spends years learning to place.

Cast by the lost-wax method the Newar workshops of Patan have used for roughly a thousand years. The artisan models the figure in wax, encases it in a clay and rice-husk mould, fires the mould so the wax runs out, and pours molten metal into the void that is left. The mould is broken to release the casting, so no two pieces from it can ever be identical. Chasing, filing and detailing the face are then done entirely by hand — the slowest part of the work, and the part that decides whether a statue is any good.

The face is hand-painted in gold and mineral pigment and is the most fragile part of the piece. Do not touch or wipe the face at all. Dust the body with a dry, soft cloth, always working away from the face. No water, no polish, no solvent. Keep out of direct sun, which fades the pigment, and away from damp.

In-stock pieces are dispatched within two working days and tracked all the way. Pieces over 10 kg travel by freight on a booked slot rather than by parcel carrier.

You can return it within 14 days of delivery, in the condition it arrived in. If you changed your mind you pay the return postage; if it was faulty or damaged in transit, we do. The refund policy sets out how, and the shipping policy covers costs and timings.

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