PAIR OF TIBETAN BRONZE RUTIAL VASES
QING DYNASTY, 19TH CENTURY
Estimate: £1,000 - £2,000
Auction: 16 May 2025 from 09:00 BST
Description
清 銅鎏金淨瓶(一對)
each of the plain bulbous body supported on a flaring foot decorated with lotus petals, surmounted with a ‘parasol’ top, further with a detachable stopper/ sprinkler (2)
Dimensions
heights: 14.5cm and 14cm; 183g and 188g
Footnote
The detachable sprinkler (Tib. kha rgyam) is used to sprinkle or flick water during consecration or empowerment ritual. The hollow conical tube of the sprinkler is filled with a bunch of peacock feathers, whose ‘eyes’ symbolise the wisdom of the Five Buddhas. See Robert Beer, 1999, The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs, Boston: Shambhala, pp. 219-220.