AN EXCELLENT FIRE- GILT BRONZE OF DORJE LEGPA AS DAMCAN GARBA NAG PO - THE LORD OF THE FORGE China, 18th ct, H. 18 cm Damchen Dorje Legpa was once banished by Guru Padmasambhava and committed by oath as protector of the Buddha's teachings. He is particularly revered in the Nyingmapa tradition, but also plays an important role in the Kagyu and Gelugpa traditions. In the school of Padmasambhava, the deity is not only considered a Dharmapala, but also the protector of the treasures (terma) hidden by the great guru. In ancient Tibet, metallurgy or blacksmithing was the privilege of some tribes and was protected by certain deities. Among these protectors is the emanation of Dorje Legpa as Damcan Garba nag po - the "Lord of the Forge". In this capacity, he displays two prominent tools - the vajra hammer and, in some depictions, one or two bellows made of tiger and leopard skin. The deity wears silken robes, has an angry face, showing his teeth, and curls his tongue. Two large rings adorn the ears. The head wears a wild coiffure of flaming hair, and in front of it a crown with five dried human skulls. Garba nagpo rides sideways on a billy goat, with horns twisted into each other. Here the goat stands on a sun lotus, in some depictions the deity rides over a lake of enemy blood surrounded by a fringe of iron mountains. On some rarer thangkas, the deity is shown in its form as Dorje legpa - in association with Pehar - followed by three hundred and sixty different attendants - "brothers" - underlining the mightiness of the deities. (s.Lit: D.I.barrel). Copper alloy, 2 parts; fire gilding, finest punching of the garment seams; cold gilding of the face, hair: vermilion; attributes: loose; base: originally closed, with defensive magic double vajra. Old German private collection since the 1970s, acquired by the present owner around 1999 Compare the bronze of this rare type in the Rubin Museum New York: https://collection.rubinmuseum.org/objects/3299/damchen-garwai-nakpo?ctx=6ed54063292ae54d7b09a47f7667a00eef2e154a&idx=0 Very minor traces of age