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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. Shaman's Bell Necklace. Nepal. 19th century. Chain 38" (96 cm.) long. A wonderful assortment of 10 bells on an old hand made chain. The 9 brass bells are 2 1/2" high and have a very sweet tone; the 10th bell is iron, probably from a yak. All were collected and worn by a shaman in the high Himalayas in a dance to awaken the gods. $145.
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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 - 19th Century Bell and Dorje. Height: 7 1/4" (18.4 cm.), Length of dorje: 4 1/2" (11.4 cm.) Symbolizing the union of compassion and wisdom, male and female, the two paths to enlightenment. With a well worn brass 5 pronged top showing the face of Prajnaparamita, a sacred mantra in the leaves of the lotus around the stem and a ring of small dorjes around the bottom. The dorje is also brass. $450 |
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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. $475.
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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. $350. |
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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. Length 30 1/2", Diameter 15". Wood with leather. A double sided drum with a long phurba handle. The handle on this drum is beautifully carved. The blade of the phurba handle is six-sided and tapers down to a point; the central dorje is quite elaborate. Three deities, one smiling and two showing their teeth, are at the top of the handle. It has a deep, resonant sound. SOLD.
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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. |
