Description:

Central Asia, Nepal, ca. 19th century CE. A fine diadem plaque carved from bone of a Buddha seated atop a skull with an arching aureola surrounding. The piece is set in a vintage velvet line wood case with a latch. The carving is removable, and the verso is flat with small piercings to the sides that would have secured the plaque to a headdress or crown - which were part of ceremonial regalia for monks or other religious figures. The skull is a symbol of Citipati, a skeletal protector deity in Himalayan Buddhism, whose sacred skeleton dance symbolizes the eternal dance of death as well as the arrival at absolute consciousness. The deep eye sockets may have been inlaid with gemstones originally. Size of plaque: 4.25" L x 1.5" W (10.8 cm x 3.8 cm); closed case: 3" L x 1" W x 6" H (7.6 cm x 2.5 cm x 15.2 cm)

A similar example is part of the Los Angles County Museum of Art (LACMA) collection, object number M.86.61.4.

Provenance: private Greenwood Village, Colorado, USA collection

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#178816

  • Condition: Intact and excellent with slight yellow patina. Displayed in a vintage wood and velvet lined case.

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June 1, 2023 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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$300 $999 $50
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$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
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