A viciously fanged blue Mahakala wearing a prominent crown of skulls
is portrayed in this papier mache mask from Bhutan. Since it was worn in sometimes long monastery dances, the lightness of the material made the mask somewhat easier to wear.
As is the custom with Bhutanese masks it has been repainted several times, so it it probably considerably older than it looks. We are making the very conservative estimate t ...click for details
Covered pots like this are used to hold offerings and are usually found on Tibetan altars, either in a domestic shrine room or in a monastery.
This pot is decorated with eight kirtimukha faces, four on the lid and four on the base. The Kirtimukha or face of majesty is a mythological creature so ravenously hungry that it devoured its own body. It is depicted with only a face and hands and with strings of gems hanging f ...click for details
Finely chased solid silver with four medallions each featuring two sacred or auspicious objects, this Tibetan lamp stands
5 inches (13 cm.) high. It is in excellent condition.
Almost certainly a monastery piece, this censer would have been used to burn the loose incense which Tibetans obtain from fragrant vegetation such as certain kinds of evergreens. It is decorated with panels depicting a dragon, a phoenix and a snow lion. Above them along the rim are representations of the eight auspicious symbols.
For a censer it is a very petite size, standing 6-1/4 inches in height with a 4-1/2 inch ...click for details
Tibetan gau boxes come in a variety of sizes and shapes, but
this is one of the most common form of the larger gaus. It was
made to be either placed on an altar or worn on the person. The two
lugs on either side allow for a strap so it can be easily
tied around the waist or hung over the shoulder.
A gau of this size can hold a wide variety of objects, all
of a sacred or protective nature. This could includ ...click for details
This carved wooden bird on a handle ending in a dagger-like shape would have been used by a shaman in a trance dance. The bird's
beak and claws represent sharpness, and this is used to ward off evil spirits. The strips of cloth tied the base contribute to the hostile intent. The handle ends in a square peg which fits into a square hole in the bird.
The handle is seven inches long and the bird is nine inches long ...click for details
Though we cannot say with full certainty, we suspect the head belongs to Yamantaka. We say this because of the bovine ears and the stumps above them which were probably the stumps of long-disappeared horns.
This is a very early piece, and while it has a few more recent chips (clearly visible in the photos), it still has a remarkable presence.< ...click for details
Damarus are a form of drum used throughout the Indian subcontinent and Tibet. They are attributes of both Hindu and Buddhist deities. Shaped like a squat hour glass, cords ending with small hard knobs strike the damaru's surface as the drum is quickly twisted from side to side.
This damaru is carved from a single piece of wood. The heads are covered with finely patterned snake skin, and the "tail" is
f ...click for details
This is a newly strung necklace of old naturally colored coral beads assembled from
old pieces of Tibetan jewelry. Unlike much of what is coming out of China and Tibet recently, these beads have not been artificially colored.
The necklace is 18 inches long, and as can be seen in the photo, the beads have been knotted in black cord. Its overall weight is 99 grams.
