唐 鎏金青銅金剛杵|Vajra with Angry Heads and Makara Prongs
Unknown Artist
Medium
Gilt bronze
Dimensions
H. 1 1/4 in. (3.2 cm); W. 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm); L. 8 1/2 in. (21.6 cm)
Classification
Metalwork
Culture & Period
China · Tang dynasty (618–907)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Charlotte C. and John C. Weber Collection, Gift of Charlotte C. and John C. Weber, 1994
Accession Number
1994.605.43
Art Historical Context
This exquisite gilt bronze vajra, or ritual thunderbolt, hails from China's Tang dynasty (618–), a golden era of cosmopolitan culture and Buddhist flourishing along the Silk Road. Measuring just 8½ inches long, this handheld implement the period's masterful metalwork, crafted for esoteric Tantric Buddhist ceremonies. The title reveals its dramatic features: snarling angry heads symbolizing wrathful deities that conquer ignorance, and makara prongs—fierce, mythical aquatic creatures from Indian lore—adding symbolic power. Forged in bronze and lavishly gilded with gold, the vajra's surface glea...