18th/19th century small votive Indian bronze sculpture of Nandi - the vehicle of Shiva, or sometimes considered to be a form of Shiva himself. It rests in its usual position wearing rich trappings in front of a Shiva lingam altar, and there is a pile of offerings by his raised foot. Very neat casting and detailing, great patina, compressed dust in crevices and traces of sandalwood paste used during worship. Very good devotional object, wonderful feel of age to the piece. Length 2 1/2 inches.
17th century Indian bronze votive sculpture depicting Vishnu in his avatar of Narasimha (the Man Lion) with his consort Lakshmi sitting on his left knee. Demon Hiranyakashipu could not have been killed neither by a man, nor an animal, so Vishnu took the above form to slay it. The main emphasis of this image is upon lion characteristics of fierceness, bravery and independence, while the presence of Lakshmi is a reference to more common Lakshmi-Narayana images...
Late 18th to early 19th century votive Indian bronze sculpture of Rukmini - a consort of Vitthali, who is regarded as a form of Vishnu or Krishna. His name means “standing on a brick”, he is usually shown in characteristic stance with his hands on his hips, he is also known as Vithoba or Panduranga, and is worshipped in particular in Pandharpur, not far from Bombay. She is shown with the same hand positioning, very good casting and sharp detailing - see her jewelry...
19th century small Indian bronze votive sculpture of monkey god Hanuman cast in South India. His hands are held in praying gesture in front of him, and his tail forms a halo behind his head. Hanuman personifies ingenuity and faithfulness - his strength and courage helped Rama to defeat demon Ravana. Wonderful casting and detailing, pleasant patina. Height 1 15/16 inches.
19th century small votive Indian bronze statue of crawling baby Krishna holding in his hand a butter ball, which he stole from a storage in his house. Very nice casting, highly detailed - see his face, jewelry, apron and anatomically correct lower regions. Beautiful patina, very nice feel of age. Length 1 3/4 inches.
Antique 19th century Tibetan, huge Drinking Horn used to hold and dispense Chhaang or barley beer. The slightly curved large horn body mounted with four brass mounts each hammered and finely repoussed with Ruyi heads and roiling waves ornaments and fitted with three suspension loops. The wider end has been plugged with a disk of wood...
Small cast bronze oil lamp in the form of an elephant drinking water from a trough. Measuring 3.5" high x 4" long, the lamp will fit in the palm of your hand and is attached to a heavy hand wrought chain that ends with a hook in the shape of a cobra. Chain and hook measures 9.5 inches long. There is a reservoir for oil inside the elephant. To use they would turn the elephant upside down to pour in the oil and then latch it shut with the sturdy removable pin...
Small antique Tibetan bronze cup. Intended for holding water in a Buddhist shrine. Made of bronze and shaped in the form of a lotus with petals starting in a gardroon and ending in a scalloped edge just below a ring around a smooth rim.
17th century
Dimensions: 2" high
Group of 8 hand painted oval miniatures of Indian buildings including the
GOLDEN TEMPLE AMRITSAR and the TAJ MAHAL. Varying sizes, largest 5.5 x 4 cm. Undated but firmly estimated to mid 19th century. Can be viewed in central London and shipped worldwide.
Small statue of a protector, with a high coiffe, sitting on a rounded base, his hands in praying posture. Strongly eroded wood. Nepal, early 20th century or earlier. Height: 32 cm. The statue is nicely mounted on a custom stand.
Silver pot with an elaborate embossed decoration consisting in a dragon on its handle, a "makara" on its spout, Buddhist symbols on its neck, and dragons and stylized lotus on its body. Tibet, 19th century. Height: 14.5 ccm. Very good condition.
A Kashmir papier-mache vase with polychrome and gold lacquer decoration in the Mughal style. Showing couple of birds on a mille-fleurs ground or a golden feather pattern, framed by a mihrab border. The sides with two small handles in the shape of tiger heads. Condition: some chips and losses to the lacquer. Dimension: c. 22.8 cm high.
Early 19th century Indian bronze votive sculpture of Ganesha with the usual attributes in his hands, and a very worn rat - his vehicle - by his right knee, cast in the state of Karnataka. Ganesha is the remover of obstacles, and thus is invoked before any new undertaking. He bestows good luck on his worshippers, and is invoked in marriage ceremonies and in some forms of Tantric worship...
Late 18th to early 19th century Indian bronze votive sculpture of Ganesha sitting on a base, cast in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Ganesha is the remover of obstacles, and thus is invoked before any new undertaking. He bestows good luck on his worshippers, and is invoked in marriage ceremonies and in some forms of Tantric worship. Very good casting with nice thinly cast base, beautiful warm patina, overall in very good condition for a votive piece...
19th century Indian bronze votive sculpture of Ganesha sitting on a round base, cast in the Indian state of Karnataka. Ganesha is the remover of obstacles, and thus is invoked before any new undertaking. He bestows good luck on his worshippers, and is invoked in marriage ceremonies and in some forms of Tantric worship. Bold heavy casting with good sense of volume, beautiful warm patina, pleasant feel of age. Height 1 5/8 inches.
Pendant of rectangular shape ending in a triangle on its top, with a loop for possible attachment to a necklace. The pendant is decorated with an embossed design of tribal style representing Hindu god Virabhadra standing with his four arms and weapons/attributes, and surrounded by a dotted aureola. Bronze, with fine reddish green patina. India, 18th century. Height: 5.3 cm. Very good condition.
This beautiful antique short strand of beads would have been carried in the pocket and taken out for ritual religious prayer...2 spacer counter beads are honey amber and the 3rd is red coral...
Small Shiva lingam carved on black stone, with four deities heads in relief around the lingam. The object is eroded with age, and encrusted with remnants of ritual substances, but the decoration is still visible. Nepal, 15th century or earlier. Height: 6.5 cm. Length: 8 cm. Good condition.
Though the traditional practice of Tibetan "sky burial" is well known. But in some areas of Tibet the Buddhist practice of cremation is also used for some individuals, and The ashes are placed in a box made specifically for that purpose.
This cremation box dates to the 18th century and has carved line decoration on the sides...
It is made so that the top is keyed to the bottom and slides open from one end...
A very rare Phurba ritual dagger of purple zitan wood with three heads of protectors on the top, a central vajra in the handle and the head of a garuda holding the triangular blade. Tibet, 15/16th century. L 28 cm. Condition: Good wear and only a few minor chips.
Architectural element, of triangular form, finely carved in relief to represent a celestial being, half chimera half human, carrying a banner and surrounded by clouds. Wood, age patina. Nepal, 18th century. Length: 36.5 cm. Nicely mounted on a custom stand. Good condition.
This Tibetan shrine shaped gau (aka prayer box) is actually a religious shrine. When not being worn as an ornament during festivals, it would be kept in the prayer niche of the family home. The back of the box slides open. Frequently, a special prayer i.e. sutra pages would be placed inside. The small glass window at the front displays a Tsa tsa, which is a clay statue of a Buddhist Diety. These statues were made only by the monks and considered to be a holy relic...
Four-armed sword wielding Virabhadra is a manifestation of Shiva. In this form, he decapitated the demigod Daksha who had insulted him, but in doing so, he interrupted the demigod's sacrifice by which all beings are created. Virabhadra later revived Daksha by replacing his head with that of a goat, thus ensuring the demigod survived and the continuance of creation...
Very old anthropomorphic statue of a deity protecting a household, staying on a circular base, with an expressive face and hands in praying posture. Eroded wood, age patina. Nepal, 19th century. Height: 33.3 cm. The statue is nicely mounted on a custom stand. Collected in the early seventies in the Himalayan region.
Finely cast small statue of Krishna depicted, according to tradition, as a mischievous boy, reclining and stealing the butter ball. Krishna is wearing a diadem, at the back of which is a loop suggesting that this statue was originally used as a pendant. Bronze, with with partly encrusted reddish green patina, with traces off ritual material. Nepal, 17th century. Length: 4.9 cm. height: 4.3 cm. Very good condition.
THANGKA
Tibetan Buddhist thangka painting on silk and cotton fabric mounted as a portable scroll for the monk who visit the villages and use it for telling Buddhist doctrine or Buddha's biography to the people. 18th century. Rare valued piece with calm and mercy...
This unusual small triangular shaped snuff bottle
2 of the 3 sides of the piece have carefully repouse Tibetan symbols..no makers marks...a few tiny dents ...no loss.
It was brought back from Tibet by a man who went on a long walkabout from Istanbul to Tibet back in the late 60's...China was not open at the time...and Tibet ..he traveled with a backpack,limited space,few small momentoes and he was picky...old pieces only...
bottle is approx 1.75 inches high
Hand painted on cotton mounted on wood with metal bound corners, metal hanging ring, decorated paper on reverse. Undated, estimated to be late 19th century or earlier. 35 x 35 cm. Can be viewed in central London and shipped worldwide.
Hand written Nepalese manuscript. Undated estimated to be 17/18th century or earlier. Anointing marks on cover, one illustration, 70 sides of text, each 20x 7.5 cm. No loose pages. Can be viewed in central London and shipped worldwide.
Originally, this graceful sculpture may have stood at the doorway of a palace or temple as a warning to all malicious spirits not to enter. The tradition of lions guarding doors and gates is ancient and common to a great variety of cultures, including the Egyptians, Assyrians, Romans, and Chinese. There is a strong Chinese influence in this piece, suggesting open relations between the two cultures.
18th Century - Rajputana, India
Dimensions: 16 1/2" x 5 7/8" x 11 5/8"
An interesting and rare bronze shrine or figure, depicting a Deity, likely Vishnu, seated on a Throne with a large construction at his back, with a Lion mask on top. Cobra hood over his head. South India, ca. 18th. century.
Size: 19 cm.
Condition: Choice, smoothly polished front, the back with an fine very old brown patina.
Ex. Old Danish Collection of Indian bronzes figures of the Hindu, Jain and Buddhist religions, aquired from ca. 1955 to 1990s.
Antique Indian hardwood figure carving. Mounted on a custom high-quality iron stand for display. The female figure is in a dancing pose, with elaborate headdress and garb. Mounted on a High grade custom iron stand.
18th Century
Dimensions w/ stand: 18" high x 6 3/4" wide x 4 1/2" deep
Dimensions w/o stand: 16 3/4" high x 5 1/2" wide x 2 3/4" deep
Two Tibetan stem platters for ritual offerings, made from hardwood with metal sheet. The center decorated with a wheel, one of the eight Buddhist Symbols. Torma are cone shaped ritual food offerings sculpted in a variety of shapes and sizes, mostly made of flour and butter. Condition: traces of usage, one piece with an old repair (was broken in two). Dimension: diameter: c. 19 cm, height: 6 cm and 7.3 cm, weight: 1200 g.
Asian low table. Mother of pearl inlay on maroon and black laquer, brass bound edges. Very minor restauration to chipped legs. 475 mm square top, 80mm high. Undated, estimated to be late 19th century or earlier. Can be viewed in central London and collected. Buyer arranges own transport from central London.
Chinese 19th century hand painted on cotton table display set. One large centre panel and twelve smaller. Contained in hand painted paper folder. Undated, estimated to be late 19th century. Diameter of large cloth 20 inches. Can be viewed in central London and shipped worldwide.
A Tibetan silver and mother of pearl conch formed as a central Buddhistic portrait. It is unusual in its style and is a beautifully embossed and attractive item.
Age: 19 C. size: 10 cm x 9 cm. condition: very good indeed, no restoration, a slight abrasion to the edge of the pearl shell