Tibetan - Transcendental Buddha Vajrasatva - Walters 543014 - View A

Literally, the Sanskrit expression "vajrasatva" means "thunderbolt or diamantine (also adamantine) essence," of which Vajrasattva is clearly the embodiment. As an important archetypal deity, Vajrasattva is regarded both as a Buddha and a bodhisattva, though he is generally represented elaborately bedecked with ornaments in "sambhogakaya" or "body-of-bliss" form.
Here, Vajrasattva is found in an unusual standing posture on a lotus between two stupas. He holds his attributes, the thunderbolt and the bell; and his hair is arranged in a tall chignon which may once have been adorned with a lotus.
Attached to the underside of the base are two Snow Lions striding in opposite directions, their heads turned towards one another. Clearly, the pedestal was originally two-tiered, as may be seen in a more complete bronze statue in The British Museum (von Schroeder 1981, no. 32F).