Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art: Asian: Indian Subcontinent: Himalayas (26)

19th (can be as early as 18th) century Tibetan banded agate bead of elongated seed shape. Beautiful stone with wonderful contrasting layers, excellent patina from wear, very pleasant to hold. Length 1.63 inches.

Nice small size late 19th / early 20th century Sino-Tibetan bronze vajra - the primary symbol and ritual implement in Tantric Buddhism. It symbolizes the essence of esoteric practices and the perfected state of reality. This vajra has 5 prongs on each end - one at the center, and four at the cardinal directions - symbolizing five cosmic Buddhas. The globe in the middle is considered to be the power center of the implement, on either side of the globe there are stylized lotus petals...

Late 19th century small Chinese / Tibetan mala - Buddhist rosary consisting of 108 Chinese angel skin coral prayer beads and 4 jadeite ones that serve as spacers dividing the prayer beads into groups of 27 each. Must have been made for a child as the beads are small (about 4 mm in diameter). True white coral with beautiful areas of slight pink. Traditionally Buddhist rosary of 108 even-sized beads is used for mantra recitation...

19th century Chinese-Tibetan mala - Buddhist rosary consisting of 108 ivory beads with 4 larger stained red ivory ones that serve as spacers dividing the prayer beads into groups of 27 each. Traditionally Buddhist rosary of 108 even-sized beads is used for mantra recitation. The thread represents the continuity of the buddhadharma piercing the 108 worldly passions. The mantras are recited to accomplish the four karmas or enlightened activities of pacifying, enriching, magnetizing, and destroying...

Late Qing Dynasty (1890s to 1911) Chinese / Tibetan mala - Buddhist rosary consisting of 108 wooden beads and 4 jadeite ones that serve as spacers dividing the prayer beads into groups of 27 each. Dark dense wood, beautiful green jadeite. Traditionally Buddhist rosary of 108 even-sized beads is used for mantra recitation. The thread represents the continuity of the buddhadharma piercing the 108 worldly passions...

Late 19th - early 20th century Tibetan mala - Buddhist rosary consisting of 108 faceted Peking glass beads and 4 jadeite ones that serve as spacers dividing the prayer beads into groups of 27 each. Traditionally Buddhist rosary of 108 even-sized beads is used for mantra recitation. The thread represents the continuity of the buddhadharma piercing the 108 worldly passions...

18th century or earlier Tibetan carnelian agate dzi bead with geometric designs of lines and dots. Dzi beads are believed to hold magical properties and are worn as amulets protecting from demons, bringing prosperity, overcoming negative forces, clearing obstacles, increasing merits & longevity. Beautiful stone with typical agate layer lines and wonderful light colored etching. Excellent patina with great feel of age, expected small nicks, chips and other signs of long life...

Early 19th century Tibetan / Mongolian thangka in original mounts depicting Tserendug - the White Old Man - Lord of the earth and water, protector of all living things. Rare icon, Tserendug as the patron of the plant and animal world is one of the ancient chthonic deities incorporated into Buddhist iconography and is associated with Buddha Amitayus...

Very rare late 18th - early 19th century framed Tibetan thangka depicting arhat Kanaka Bharadvaja - one of the 16 original disciples of the historical Buddha - seated on a lotus dais with his hands in dhyanamudra - mudra of concentration. He is surrounded by 7 other original arhat with their characteristic hand gestures and attributes (anticlockwise from lower left): Anjita, Shribhadra, Pindola, Rahula, Kalika, Nagasena and Abheda...

18th century Tibetan thangka depicting Ekadasamukha - Boddhisattva Avalokiteshvara manifesting its form with 11 faces. Boddhisattva is holding various implements in his 6 hands, there is Tsongkhapa surrounded by 2 lamas depicted above him and 3 deities (White Tara, Mahakala and Green Tara) below. Beautifully painted with natural mineral pigments on cotton, original mounts lost its silk front but retained cotton backing, the thangka can be displayed hanging...

Very unusual small 1910s Tibetan thangka painted on a buffalo horn plaque with mineral pigments and depicting Bhavachakra - a symbolic representation of samsara - the cycle of repeated birth, mundane existence and dying again without the beginning or the end. The pig, rooster and snake in the hub of the wheel represent “the three poisons” - ignorance, attachment and anger...

Good size late 18th to early 19th century Tibetan thangka depicting Buddha Amitabha presiding over Sukhavati, the Western paradise. Amitabha - the Buddha of Infinite Light - sits in his palace surrounded by pious men dwelling in the land of bliss. There are flying Buddhist angels above the palace, and before it there is a lake in which devotees are reborn on lotus flowers with two rowing boats carrying believers to the Amitabha’s paradise...

Good size early 19th century Tibetan thangka in original mounts depicting 6-armed Bhuddist dharmapala Hayagriva easily recognizable by 3 horse heads in his crown. He is considered to be the terrific form of Avalokiteshvara and thus the archetype of fierce compassion. Hayagriva is shown wearing a tiger skin apron and a long necklace of human heads, holding various implements in his hands. Hayagriva’s special ability is to cure diseases, especially skin diseases even as serious as leprosy, which...

Early 19th century Tibetan / Mongolian thangka depicting Tserendug - the White Old Man - Lord of the earth and water, protector of all living things. Rare icon, Tserendug as the patron of the plant and animal world is one of the ancient chthonic deities incorporated into Buddhist iconography and is associated with Buddha Amitayus. He is shown seated on a lotus throne wearing a white robe and holding a staff with a dragon's head and a scroll, distant mountains, sun and moon among clouds behind hi...

Early 19th century Tibetan thangka in original mounts depicting Bodhisattva Manjushri seated on a lotus throne holding a flaming sword and a lotus flower with a book on it in his hands, sun and moon among clouds behind him and a pile of offerings in front of the throne. Manjushri’s name means “Gentle Glory”, a flaming sword represents the realization of transcendent wisdom which cuts down ignorance and duality. The scripture supported by the lotus is Prajnaparamita Sutra representing his a...

18th century Tibetan thangka in original mounts depicting Begtse standing on a lotus throne trampling on the corpses of horses and humans, brandishing a sword, supporting a lance and a bow and devouring a human heart. Rather rare icon, Beg-tse (also called Jamsaran) is a dharmapala (the Defender of the Buddhist Law) and the Lord of War, in origin a pre-Buddhist war god of the Mongols - his name means “hidden coat of mail”. He has red skin and orange-red hair, two arms (as opposed to other Ma...

Early 18th to early 19th century Tibetan thangka in original mounts depicting Green Tara with the image of Buddha Amitabha above her and her 21 forms around her. She is the miraculous savior rescuing all beings from suffering, particularly from the “eight calamities” of both mundane and spiritual nature: 1. lions and pride 2. wild elephants and delusion 3. forest fires and hatred 4. snakes and envy 5. robbers and fanatical views 6. prisons and avarice 7. floods and lust 8. demons and doubts....

18th to early 19th century Tibetan thangka in original mounts depicting six-armed Mahakala standing on a lotus base trampling on elephant headed Vigneshwara (Lord of Obstacles). Mahakala is an emanation of Boddhisattva Avalokiteshvara and the leader of the dharmapalas (Defenders of the Buddhist Law), his name means “beyond time/death”, and he represents the flow of time. This is 6-armed form of Mahakala with each hand holding a different implement, the crown is adorned with 5 skulls and a s...