A Tibetan damascened iron vajra, 12th century, with four-pronged crown terminals and central knop, with all-over gold decoration, length 19cm. Provenance: the Alain Presencer Collection. Note: the vajra was originally the thunderbolt of the Indian god Indra, with which he dispersed the clouds of ignorance. The vajra became the symbol of the 'Method' in the tantric form of Buddhism, which was introduced to Tibet by the 8th century guru Padmasambhava.