Tibetan metal dorje, Qing dynasty

A piece known as ‘Dorje’ or ‘Vajra’, used as a ritual object during Tibetan ceremonies. It consists of an elongated, cylindrical central handle, decorated with three rings in relief, arranged in a mirror image to symbolize the six paths that lead to perfection (patience, generosity, discipline, effort, meditation and wisdom) and finished with five spikes joined at the end (four outer and one central one), decorated with stylized lizards or ‘makaras’. The barbs are joined at the end to form a profile, similar to the bulb of a flower.

The five-pronged Dorjes are highly symbolic, referring, among other things, to the five natural elements, the five Buddhas and the five wisdoms ‘Dharmadhatu’, ‘Akshobhya’, ‘Ratnasambhava’, ‘Amitabha’, ‘Amoghasiddhi’. Qing Dynasty (1644-1912). 

Length: 15.5 cm