11th Oct, 2025 10:00

Auction 24

 
Lot 2
 
Lot 2 - STONE KUKURIPA LAMA TIBET 15TH - 16TH CENTURY

2

STONE KUKURIPA LAMA TIBET 15TH - 16TH CENTURY

Dimensions: Height 9,5 cm Wide 8 cm Depth 5,5 cm

Weight: 350 grams

This small stone figure represents the Indian Buddhist siddha Kukuripa, one of the 84 Mahāsiddhas revered in Tibetan Vajrayāna tradition. The yogin is seated in a relaxed posture, his right hand gently resting on the head of his faithful dog. His left hand is raised, holding a spherical object, often interpreted as a fruit or symbol of spiritual sustenance. He is draped in a monastic robe with soft, cascading folds, his broad chest and shaven head emphasizing his ascetic yet compassionate character.

In Buddhist legend, Kukuripa renounced worldly attachments to practice in a charnel ground, where he was accompanied only by his loyal dog. When later invited to a celestial paradise, he refused to abandon the animal, thereby demonstrating his enlightened compassion. Such imagery encapsulates the tantric lesson that wisdom and liberation may be attained in unconventional circumstances, through loyalty and compassion as much as through austerity. Portable sculptures of Kukuripa like this one were created for Tibetan shrines, serving as potent reminders of his path and his example within the Mahāsiddha pantheon.

Unsold
Estimated at €1,000 - €1,500