Object name: Skull bowl / Object class: Bowls (vessels) / Collection place: Tibetan Plateau - Hearst Museum Portal Search Results

Start Over Object name Skull bowl Object class Bowls (vessels) Collection place Tibetan Plateau

Hearst Museum object titled Skull bowl, accession number 9-22210, described as This is a ritual bowl made from a human skull bone. It is lined with a bronze lining crafted to fit this skull perfectly. The lining is inset with turquoise and its rim is decorated with floral motifs. The skull bowl is used in Tantric rituals as the attribute of certain deities and to contain and dispense sacred ambrosias. Similar item: T-46, T-123 Photo No. bampfa_unac_14415_1_1.tif

Hearst Museum object titled Skull bowl, accession number 9-22048, described as This is a human skull bowl. It is carefully cut from the skull of corpse. The corpse would typically be of an individual known to the the person for whom this object was fashioned. It could be a relative, or a person considered to have sacred powers. In the ritual context, a skull bowl is used in Tantric procedures as the attribute of certain deities and to contain and dispense sacred ambrosias. Similar item: T-46, B-02