BY.T-09 (previous number) and T-09 (original number)
Accession number:
Acc.4737
Description:
Butter lamp for ritual offerings. A wick is formed from unprocessed cotton and a straw. The cotton is wrapped around the straw, and the straw set in the small hole in the middle of the basin of the lamp. The top of the wick should be slightly above the rim of the lamp. The lamp is then filled with clarified Dri butter. The dri is the female of the yak.
Donor:
Estate of G. Eleanore Murray, Estate of Theos C. Bernard, and Theos C. Bernard
Collection place:
Tibet
Verbatim coll. place:
Tibet
Collector:
Theos C. Bernard
Materials:
Copper (metal)
Object type:
ethnography
Function:
5.1 Religion and Divination: Objects and garb associated with practices reflecting submission, devotion, obedience, and service to supernatural agencies
Production date:
20th century
Accession date:
March 12, 2004
Context of use:
The lamp is placed on an altar as an offering to the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and Lamas represented there.See also: 9-21854, 9-21931.
Department:
Asia (except western Russia)
Comment:
This is a beautiful example of a Tibetan ritual butter lamp. Its excellent condition suggests that it was fairly new when received by TB.