Collection place: Xizang autonomous region (Tibet), Tibetan Pleatau, China / Materials: Copper (metal) - Hearst Museum Portal Search Results

Start Over Collection place Xizang autonomous region (Tibet), Tibetan Pleatau, China Materials Copper (metal)

Hearst Museum object titled Medallion, accession number 9-21974, described as Decorative copper medallion showing Buddha Shakyamuni.

Hearst Museum object titled Medallion, accession number 9-21972, described as This is a decorative medallion showing an auspicious animals, the dragon.

Hearst Museum object titled Pot, accession number 9-21912, described as Matched with T-95. This set of copper pots (T-94 & T-95) are ornamented with brass flourishes. This type of a pot could be used for a variety of purposes such as burning powdered incense (charcoal might be burned in the bottom, and powdered incense (zang) sprinkled on top). It might be used for offering comestibles on an altar, or planting flowers. This is not a standard Tibetan design.

Hearst Museum object titled Pot, accession number 9-21913, described as Matched with T-94. This set of copper pots (T-94 & T-95) are ornamented with brass flourishes. This type of a pot could be used for a variety of purposes such as burning powdered incense (charcoal might be burned in the bottom, and powdered incense (zang) sprinkled on top). It might be used for offering comestibles on an altar, or planting flowers. This is not a standard Tibetan design.

Hearst Museum object titled Prayer wheel, accession number 9-21896, described as Tibetan prayer wheel; plain on the outside, but with a tightly wound scroll, carefully enclosed in a sewn cloth sheath, and fit precisely to the copper cylinder. It spins easily on an ingeniously crafted bearing made of carved wood and shell, and is able to facilitate millions of revolutions without breaking down or causing undue friction. A coil of mantras, often hundreds of thousands of mantras, printed from wood blocks on long scrolls, is within the copper cylinder.

Hearst Museum object titled Prayer wheel, accession number 9-21910a-d, described as This is a hand held prayer wheel. A coil of mantras, often hundreds of thousands of mantras, printed from wood blocks on long scrolls, is placed within the cylinder. The meditator spins the wheel, using the lead weight on the end of the chain to accelerate and sustain the spinning. Like other Buddhist ritual devices, the prayer wheel is a support (rten) for meditation. With each revolution of the wheel, the meditator visualizes the mantras going forth to benefit others. Each of hundreds of thousands of mantras becomes the deity of that mantra and goes forth to encompass the welfare and happiness for limitless living beings. The most common mantra in Tibetan prayer wheels is the six syllable mantra of Avalokiteshvara: "Om Mani Padme Hum." This prayer wheel is empty. A new mantra scroll can easily be placed inside.This is a rather crude prayer wheel, lacking the embossed letters of the mantra on the exterior and having little in the way of ornamentation except the coral and turquoise insets in the top. The top, however, is not original and does not match the rest of the object. It does function properly to keep the spinning wheel it place . It may have been fitted to this prayer wheel subsequent to its exiting Tibet. See prayer wheel worn on the belt of a nobelman: Photo T-92. See similar object: T-113

Hearst Museum object titled Small ornamented copper dish, accession number 9-21935, described as This small copper dish is ornamented with a turquoise stone. It has a bevelled edge and a turquoise stone set in a floral mount in the center. It does not appear to have an ordinary household use and may have some ritual purpose.

Hearst Museum object titled Thighbone trumpet, accession number 9-22054, described as This is a ritual trumpet fashioned from a human thigh bone. It has a metal mouth piece made of silver andcopper. It is wrapped at the bottom with skin, perhaps human skin or leather. It is used extensively in the popular "Chod" ritual. It functions, when blown in the ritual context by a qualified yogin, to summon all living beings, including every manner of ghost and goblin, to a great feast. In the Chod ritual, the thighbone trumpet is blown at the beginning and occasionally during the procedure, and the yogin then puts it down and serves up the feast while chanting melodiously and play the large hand drum (Chod damaru) with his right hand and the ghanta bell with his left. The use of human bone is necessary as the yogin is ritually transforming his own flesh and blood into offerings suitable for the various classes of living beings. See: T-26, T-27, T-195

Hearst Museum object titled Trumpet, accession number 9-11919, described as Trumpet; curved copper tubing w/decoration of brass w/curvilinear designs; bell end is dragon-like head w/open mouth; modified into ashtray by addition of copper stand & a cigarette rest inside mouth; single elaborate horn (other missing) 46 cm. long, 7 cm. wide at mouth