This is a Tibetan Copper/ White Brass/ Silver Prayer Box or portable shrine (Gao) with a small black seated Buddha statue inside.
Circa 1890-1930.
It also has stitched covers from the early to middle 20th Century.
The front cover is silver with wonderfully tooled reposse images, including a Tibetan beast or lion surrounded by Buddhist calligraphy, topped by a flame. The rest of the box is copper, under the protective, stitched cover.
It measures 5 inches tall by 4 1/4 inches wide by 1 1/2 inches in depth.
It is part of a small collection of antique Asian silver artifacts that were acquired at the same time (see photo #9 and #10). Some of these items are now for sale or will be offered for sale at a later date.
