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1. Tantric Box. Derge, Tibet. Iron inlaid with silver and brass. 7" (17 cm.) by 7" by 4" (10 cm.) high. Decorated on top with a double dorje and severed heads and skulls amid flames, on the sides with dragons and the endless knot design. Derge, in Eastern Tibet, was famous for its iron work, a metal prized in Tibet for use in Tantric and ritual implements. This piece is unusual because of the raised design. $850.
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2. Tantric Bone Mala. Tibet, 19th century. 32" (83 cm.) long. Made from the bone of a revered lama, with ivory and carnelian beads. There are 98 bone beads, 4 old carnelians, a banded agate bead and two ivory beads -- as well as yak bone counters, an old key, a piece of 17th century armor (for protection), and a brass official's seal. A rare and very powerful piece. $1200. |
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3. Tantric Skull Mala. Tibet, 19th century. 22" (56 cm.) long. We bought this outside of the Jokhang temple in Lhasa. It is a very powerful piece, a mala made from the skull of a revered lama. There are 108 remarkably beautiful bone beads strung on leather with one small carnelian bead, two glass or ceramic beads to mimic coral, a large, worn, conch shell guru bead, and copper counters that end with dorjes, one of them broken I think but worn so smooth it's hard to tell. $1200.
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4. Ritual Mirror or Melong. Nepal. 18th century. Brass, very pretty, worn smooth with a beautiful patina and well worn image of Ganesh above the base. 5 1/4" (13.5 cm). $275.
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5. 18th - 19th Century Bell. Height: 7". Tibet/Nepal. Bronze with a brass handle. Used in ritual dances, often with a small damaru or hand drum. The sound of the bell reminds the listener of the enlightened quality of wisdom. Five brass prongs surround a central iron one; this is the only bell I've ever seen that has 6 prongs -- the usual is 5 or 9. There is a sacred mantra in the leaves of the lotus around the stem and a ring of small dorjes around the bottom. $350. |
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6. Large Square Gau. Tibet, 19th Century. Silver with turquoise and coral. 5" (12.4 cm.) by 5". An unusually large gau, all of silver, with fine filigree detail. Intended to hold prayers, mantras, pictures of lamas or deities, medicinal herbs. The back panel is tied on with leather or string. 368 grams. $795. |
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7. Large Ritual Lamp with Ganesh and Nagas. 19th century, Brass, Nepal. 7" high, 7" wide. Used for offerings and dedications, the lamp will be piled with rice and flower offerings, the five lamps filled with oil and offerings made to local or household gods. There is a small Ganesh figure at the back to ensure prosperity no matter which local god the offering is for. The nagas are smiling. $395. |
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8. Large Kapala and Stand. Nepal. Brass, 13" (33 cm.) Beautiful contemporary Nepali metalwork in repoussee brass with nickel silver details, the skull cup sits on a stand decorated with flames, sacred syllables and disembodied heads. $650.
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9. Old Incense Burner/Censer. Bhutan, mid-20th century. Bronze. 8 1/2" (21 cm.) diameter, 6" (15 cm.) high. With the asta mangala symbols and other more esoteric ones overlaid around the rim and with three loops for hanging. $275.
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10. 18th Century Bell and Dorje. Height: 6 1/2" (17 cm.), Length of dorje: 4 3/4" (12 cm.) Symbolizing the union of compassion and wisdom, male and female, the two paths to enlightenment. A brass 9 pronged top showing the face of Prajnaparamita, almost worn away and a sacred mantra in the leaves of the lotus around the stem of the bell. It is always hard to tell the age of these but 18th century is a conservative estimate judging from the amount of wear. The dorje is also brass with 9 prongs. $750. |
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11. Leopard Mala with Thogchags. Tibet. 40" (102 cm.) long. 103 bodhi seed beads, worn smooth into a leopard-like pattern, strung with 4 coral beads, a broken dzi stone, 2 shell beads and an 12th - 13th century thogchags that was once the top half of an ancient gau. This is a wonderful mala. I bought it in the Barkor in Lhasa last year and the beads still have a smokey Tibetan smell. SOLD.
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12. Tall Ganesh Oil Lamp. 12 1/2" high. 19th Century Nepal, Brass. An oil lamp that is its own altar to Ganesh, Remover of Obstacles. Two guardian lions stand at either side of the main lamp which burns before a small Ganesh image. Above the image is a flower-like structure that serves both as a base for 5 more small lamps and a pot in which to store the oil. The lamp itself rises out of a dish that would be filled with flowers and rice offerings. SOLD. |
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13. 17th Century Ritual Crown. Copper and brass, Nepal. 10 3/4" (27 cm.) high. An elaborately decorated ritual crown. The five Adi Buddhas are set in a repousee frieze around the front and sides with traces of gilding and red offering powder. With a long inscription around the back. Similar crowns have been worn by Buddhist priests in religious rituals dating as far back as the 12th century. $950. |
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14. Five Buddha Conch Shell Trumpet. Nepal. Contemporary. 9 1/2" (24 cm.) long. Beautifully carved figures in a leaf and lotus petal ground. $450. |
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15. 19th C. Shaman's Drum. Nepal. Diameter 13" (33 cm.), length of handle 14" (36 cm.). Wood with leather. A double sided drum with a long phurba handle, very simple and worn very smooth. It has a deep, resonant sound when struck or the stones inside make a nice rattle when it is shaken. $450. E-mail us to request a sound clip.
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16. Garuda and Hanuman Ritual Bell. 19th century, Nepal. 9" (23 cm.) tall. Mixed metals, with a clear high tone. Garuda and Hanuman are protected under an umbrella of snakes. $165.
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17. Large Inscribed Temple Bell Nepal, Early 18th century. Bronze, 9" (22 cm.) high, 5 3/4" in diameter. With a Sanskrit inscription around the rim. The inscribed date is 1774 which is 1716 by our calendar. Weighs 6 lbs. $650.
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18. 19th C. Shaman's Drum. Nepal, Wood with leather. With a very simply carved handle, well worn to a beautiful patina. Also with a fine, resonant sound; the drum can either be played with a stick or shaken for the sound created by the small stones inside. Length 27" (68 cm.), diameter 13" (32 cm.) $375. |
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19. Sukunda Oil Lamp Nepal,19th century. Brass, 5 1/2" (14 cm.) tall, 7 1/4" (19 cm.) from handle to lamp. The sukunda is both a pot for holding oil and a lamp for burning. The flame burns in front of an image of Ganesh, remover of obstacles, while a small Buddha figure under a protective umbrella of nagas, sits above the pot of oil. Two lions guard either side of the flame. $165. |
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20. Shaman's Necklace of Tiger Bells Nepal, 19th century. 37" (94 cm.) long. 16 bells, 13 in the shape of a stylized tiger head, hollow with a round stone inside to produce the sound. Worn Chinese characters appear on the top of the bell. Single bells are used as amulets from Siberia and Mongolia, through Tibet, Nepal and India; it is unusual to find so many of this quality on one chain. SOLD. |
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21. Larage Sukunda with Monkey Nepal, mid-20th century. 7 1/2" (19 cm.) high. Brass. The oil pot is in the shape of a lotus flower, the spoon handle is a peacock and the flame burns before a figure of Ganesh and between two guardian lions. The handle is a monkey. $375. |
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22. Yao Hilltribe Shaman's Skirt China, mid-20th century. Silk with cotton lining and waistband. Length of waistband 47" (120 cm.), from top of waistband to hem 37 1/2" (94 cm.), measurement along the hem 97" (246 cm.). Two panels embroidered with a lion, phoenix, books and a vase. Hand stitched, the two main panels were once edged with black silk, now worn away. $375. |
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23. Yao Hilltribe Shaman's Staff China, 19th Century. 41" (104 cm.) long. Wood inlaid with metal -- possibly tin. With an iron spike at the bottom, the staff is planted in front of the door of a priest's house during rituals to ward of evil spirits. $500. |
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24. Pair of Ritual Fire Spoons Tibet, early 20th Century. Longest spoon is 35 1/2" (90 cm.), made from copper with silver plate. Used during a fire sacrifice to invoke the gods on important occasions. The round spoon is a receptacle; the other is used to pour the offering into the fire. According to the Tantric idea of the inseparability of male and female principles, the spoons are thought of as female and male, the joining of wisdom and means. Each spoon unscrews in the middle, at the dragon's head. $3,500. |
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25. Top of a Necromancer's Bone Apron. Tibet, 17th-18th Century, some of the small pieces are newer. 24" (61 cm.) across, the longest piece is 6 1/4" (16 cm.) and the shortest is 5 1/2" (14 cm.) The second and last of the long pieces have been broken and repaired and the entire piece has been restrung. $6,500. |
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26. Shaman's Brass Bells. Nepal, 19th Century. 38" (97 cm.) long chain with 23 old brass bells in three shapes and styles. All together they make a wonderful sound. (Sound clips are available on request.) $175. |
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27. Old Mala with Claw, Shell and Zip. Tibet. 25" (64 cm.) 108 coconut shell beads on a leather string, with conch shell and red glass. One counter is copper, with a dorje; the other is brass and decorated with a leopard claw, a shell, part of a zipper and a piece of plastic. Other embellishments include a stone bead and a shell disk. The central bead has a piece of metal onto which a thogchags or other prized item could be fixed. $450. |
