Page 68 - Indian, Himalaya and Asian Art Bonhams Setp 2015

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A STEEL AND GILT COPPER ALLOY ORACLE MIRROR
Tibet, 17th / 18th century
With original cloth backing; The convex disc overlaid with a thickly
cast visvavajra, at the center a roundel with Vajrapani.
7 1/4 in. (18.4 cm) diam
$20,000 - 30,000
西藏 十七／十八世紀 銅鎏金鐵嵌法鏡
In Tibetan culture, an oracle wears an elaborate costume, including
a mirror on his chest. In deep trance, he looks into the mirror, not
directly, but through another mirror held by an assistant in front of him.
Through this doubly distant vision he foretells the future and gives
advice.
For a related example see Monasterios y lamas del Tibet, Madrid,
Fundación “La Caixa”, 2000, p. 110, cat. no. 36 and Spink & Son,
Ltd, Visions of Perfect Worlds: Buddhist Art from the Himalayas,
London, 1999, p. 77, cat. no. 45.
Provenance
Private Collection, California

66 | BONHAMS