Lot 95
95
A rare and large bronze mold for votive plaques
A rare and large bronze mold for votive plaques

EASTERN TIBET, 17TH CENTURY

Details
A rare and large bronze mold for votive plaques
Eastern Tibet, 17th Century
Crisply cast in the negative with the cosmic form of Avalokiteshvara, Sahasrabhuja Lokeshvara, the eleven-headed deity standing on a double-lotus base with his thousand arms radiating, flanked by two Bodhisattvas at his feet and two wrathful deities at the top, bordered by inscriptions relating to specific mantras for the deity
11 in. (29.3 cm.) high
Exhibited
Albuquerque, The Albuquerque Museum, Tibet: Tradition and Change, 1997-98, pl. 88.

Lot Essay

Votive plaques, tsha tsha, where made of clay in a bronze mold of this type for visitors to shrines. They could be carried away and placed in stupas, reliquaries, or images to increase their spiritual potency. The present example is exceptionally large and crisply detailed.