Buddhist Bronze Sculptures (NMN) [Photo gallery]

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These photos represent Buddhist bronze sculptures (dhatu-kala) and are exhibited in the National Museum of Nepal (Kathmandu), also known as the Rashtriya Museum. [...] The fame of the Nepali bronze art reaches all over the world. From the art historian to the general public, everyone is deeply impressed by the bronzes from Nepal. In comparison to the stone art, the history of Nepali bronzes seems to be short as it started only from the 7th century onward. [...] The Nepali bronzes carry the impact of both Saivite and Buddhist Tantric practices.

In the large colelction of bronzes in Nepal, the Buddhist images are pre-dominant. Padmapani Avalokiteshwar is the most popular in the Vajrayana cult of Buddhism so the bronze images of Avalokiteshwar abound in Nepal. [...] During the 17th-18th century A.D., Nepali artists and craftsmen had accomplished a brilliant job in casting the bronzes of Samvara, representing Nirvana or the Supreme Bliss, through the intensive system of meditation. The images of Samvara are the best pieces of artistic excellence of the medieval period. The Nepali artists followed the concept of Vajrayana imagery in the course of making the bronzes of Samvara. [...]

Besides, this gallery preserves a good number of the late medieval bronzes of Tara, Vasundhara, Visvarupa, Hayagriva Mandala, and a few metal statues of the Malla kings and queens. [...]

Gallery: 21 images

Click each photos to see detailled description, exif-information and high-resolution:

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