Ritual Ewer
Tibetan
18th/19th Century
Bronze with copper inlay.
Height 35.5 cm.
The ewer itself is to contain water for lustration purposes
for use in Tibetan rituals. It is extremely finely made and
depicts several key elements of Tibetan national identity; most
prominently the lion handle with its mane strongly reminiscent
of the stone lion found on top of the Yarlung tombs from the
7th cent. In which the early Tibetan emperors were buried. Secondly
we find an image of the poet saint Milarepa (11th cent) on the
side of the ewer. Milarepa is the most beloved of Tibet's religious
figures and his songs and his biography are to this day, amongst
the most popular of Tibetan literature.
Typically where liquids are concerned, we find the spout emerging
from the mouth of a makara, a water spirit whose beneficent
presence ensures rain and riches.
This piece is remarkable for the method of filing the ewer
with liquid. This is achieved from the bottom of the vessel
and only via a quite convoluted method. I have never seen a
piece with this filling system before and as far as I am concerned
it is quite unique.
The ewer itself might well have been intended for long-life
ceremonial use and would have contained blessed water which
becomes the 'water of life' (Tibetan: tshe chu) for those who
partake of it.
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