Iron Man (Buddhist statue)

Iron Man

Year	c1,000 CE
Type	Sculpture
Material	Ataxite class nickel-rich iron meteorite
Subject	Probably the Buddhist deity Vaiśravaṇa
Dimensions	24 cm (9.4 in); Weight 10 kilograms (22 lb)

The Iron Man statue is a 24 centimetres (9.4 in), 10 kilograms (22 lb) Tibetan sculpture depicting what could be the Buddhist deity Vaiśravaṇa, made from a rare ataxite class nickel-rich iron meteorite. It is claimed to have been carved in about 1,000 CE, from a meteorite which fell to Earth approximately 15,000 years ago, although no evidence for this claim has been provided. Albeit claims that the statue may have been acquired by the 1938–1939 German expedition to Tibet, evidence of the statue's provenance has to date not been presented. The statue was kept in a private collection until it is said to have been auctioned in 2007. The statue's belly bears a clockwise-rotation Buddhist swastika.

Analysis

It has been dated to the time of the Chinga meteorite, which fell near eastern Siberia and Mongolia between 10,000 and 20,000 years ago. The researcher who had determined the statue's composition has said, "If we are right that it was made in the Bon culture in the 11th century, it is absolutely priceless and absolutely unique worldwide."

Controversy

General features on the statue still raise doubts about its true nature and origin. There are doubts that this statue was created in Tibet and/or could be related to Buddhist beliefs. Even the authors of the meteorite theory express several concerns and remark that their assessment of being carved in the 11th century is mere speculation. On what relates to Schaefer expedition, till now, there are no clear and independent references linking this statue to it. Here, the authors of the article on the meteoric origin of the iron just state a "to our knowledge".

Some suspect this is a well elaborated forgery, specially when comparing features on cloth and the supposed deity it represents. After initial hype, several media noted that this statue is not present on the list of items brought by the expedition to Germany, which is deemed to be "very precise".

If the statue is somehow genuine, the nearest possible resemblance to a national dress would be Scythian. However, not all details fit such resemblance, remarkably the double sleeved coat. It shall be noted that certain groups of Scythians (Indo-Scythians/Sakas 200BC-400CE) were influenced by Buddhism and their kingdoms bordered modern Tibet on the west. While the last remains of a Scythian state vanished in the 5th century, pockets, in form of tribes, may have survived in the Himalayas up to the 10th century. This may go well with assumptions made about the possible date of the statue's carving and even give ground to hypothesis on the origin of primary material. But, with all contradictory features and the vague details of its "discovery", it is hard to accept this object as anything more than a source for wild speculations.

See also

• Glossary of meteoritics
• Thokcha, the Tibetan use of meteorite metal in ritual objects