GILT AND SILVERED COPPER GAU BOX WITH GEMS AND TURQUOISE, Tibet - Nepal, 19th century

Box for relics or amulets (gau) of religious nature. The front, in silvered, gilt and embossed copper, is embellished with very fine chiselled work further enriched by settings of turquoises, corals and other semi-precious stones. In the centre of the box stands out, carved in turquoise the effigy of Padmasambhava, depicted seated on a lotus throne, wearing a beautiful dress and adorned with earrings and necklaces, while his head is crowned with a lotus-shaped hat. In his hands he holds his attributes. The back of the reliquary depicts a double vajra in silver-plated copper on a gilded background.

Provenance: -Private Collection, Italy.

Catalog notes: The box served as a portable shrine and was believed to protect anyone carrying it. The multi-layered volutes and delicate figurative details testify to the refinement of the craftsmen who made it. The selective gilding, for example, further amplifies the preciousness of the work, adding colour and depth to the background against which the deity stands out.

Padmasambhava was an Indian Tantric Buddhist master, considered a central figure in the transmission and spread of Buddhism in Tibet. The attributes he holds are a Khatvanga, a ritual staff, resting on his left shoulder, representing his consort Mandarava, who guides him to the awareness of emptiness. In his left hand, placed on his lap, he holds a skull cup with a jar containing nectar of long life and jewels, while in his right hand he holds a vajra, the adamantine thunderbolt, (vishvajra) or dorje, symbolising the reality of Buddha's enlightenment.