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THB19th C Tibetan Human Skull Kapala w/ Turquoise & Copper
Lot 79
About Seller
Artemis Gallery
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
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Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$3,000 - $4,500
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About Auction
Live
By Artemis Gallery
Aug 6, 2019
Set Reminder
2019-08-06 11:00:00
2019-08-06 11:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : VARIETY SALE | Antiquities & Ethnographic Art
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/variety-sale-antiquities-ethnographic-art-4326
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Around the world & back in time - be amazed at the treasures you will find. Antiquities from Egypt, Greece, Italy and the Near East, Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanic, Native American, Spanish Colonial, Russian Icons, Fine Art, much more! All categories, all price ranges... Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (387)
- Lot Description
Central Asia, Tibet, ca. 19th century CE. A beautiful copper-lined example of a kapala, made from the top of a human skull ringed with flowing fringe panels in repousse. The interior of the skull is lined with a thin copper sheet that has been incised with four Tibetan characters around the basin walls and an intricate central flower in the center, and a form-fitting lid displays intricate floral patterns and prayer implements beneath a half-vajra handle. A decorative triangular copper base boasts projecting flaming walls, a trio of deity heads in the corners, and inlaid turquoise stones along the midsection. Fine patina envelops each component of this lovely example of macabre ritual drinkware! Size (w/ lid): 6.9" L x 5.25" W x 7" H (17.5 cm x 13.3 cm x 17.8 cm); 9.4" H (23.9 cm) on included copper stand.
These beautiful objects are often made from skulls stripped of their flesh in sky burials, the compassionate Buddhist offering of the dead human form to local birds and other animals. Kapala and other ceremonial objects made from bone are part of the Tantric practice of reflection upon decay and the corruption of the corporeal form, as well as the desire to destroy the duality of attractiveness versus repulsion. Monks and yogis in this religion often meditate in graveyards or near the mountaintop sites of sky burials, surrounded by the unavoidable physicality of death. Although kapala may look to outside viewers like a disturbing fixation upon the grave - with much of Vajrayana Buddhism iconography focused on blood, corpses, and bones - they are actually a deliberate attempt to destroy the karmic hindrances that might bind a soul to this earthly life and prevent it from achieving enlightenment.
A stylistically-similar example with gilded bronze components hammered for EUR 17,500 ($19,494.91) at Christie's, Paris "Art D'Asie" auction (sale 3568, December 11, 2013, lot 37): https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot/kapala-forme-dun-crane-de-son-couvercle-5753912-details.aspx?from=searchresults&intObjectID=5753912&sid=9afe2af6-0656-4673-9f80-529443390c0d
Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection
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#148259Slight bending to overall form of base, with light abrasions to skull and lid, minor softening to some finer details, and losses to some inlaid stones. Light earthen deposits and great patina throughout.Condition
- Shipping Info
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