Page 17 - Bonhams Presencer Buddhist Art Collection Oct. 2 2018

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A BONE MALA WITH TURQUOISE INLAID SILVER GAU A BRASS INKWELL
Himalayan Art Resources item no.61692 NEPAL, 19TH CENTURY
78 cm (30 3/4 in.) long Himalayan Art Resources item no.61723
6.5 cm (2 1/2 in.) high
HK$15,000 - 25,000
HK$8,000 - 12,000
靈骨佛珠配鑲松石銀嘎烏盒
尼泊爾 十九世紀 銅墨水瓶
Malas are intimate religious articles that a Buddhist turns to daily to
steer his or her thoughts towards a spiritual quest. A mala typically This Nepalese inkwell is indicative of how religious art and the material
has a significant numerological amount of beads, such as 108 here. culture of the Himalayas, up until the late 20th century, are really one
A mala’s beads are made of symbolically potent materials for the type and the same. The inkwell takes the auspicious form of a ritual vase,
of practice it assists with, in this case polished bone discs typically the kalasha. Intricate, but rubbed from plenty of use, it is difficult to
used for ‘wrathful activities’ of subduing negative emotional or spiritual identify its iconography, although it certainly depicts celestial beings.
obstacles. Within monastic practice, the beads are manipulated to Some appear to be dancing, perhaps garland bearers, while others
count recitations of a certain mantra, a transformative set of words might be mythical creatures, garudas and nagas. Lotus and chord
that achieve beneficial outcomes if recited correctly. Malas have a motifs continue the inkwell’s auspicious imagery. Presumably this
guru-bead that marks a complete cycle of recitations, and typically would affect the ink. For further discussion and comparable examples,
also counters that help keep track of the total number of cycles, such see Slusser & Fuller, “Culture in Microcosm: The Nepalese Inkwell”,
as the silver beads around leather straps here. Arts of Asia, July – August 1987, no.17, pp.78-87.

In recent times, malas are sometimes converted to necklaces for Provenance
lay practioners, fitted with gau or other auspicious pendants. A gau Dan Robinson, Oxford, 2016
is a talisman carried for protection, such as the handsome silver
and turqouise pendant here. As in this case, gaus often contain
consecrated material that provides the source of its protection. This
converted mala is particularly handsome with neat elements.

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