18th Oct, 2024 11:00
TWO-DAY AUCTION: Fine Asian Art, Buddhism and Hinduism
297
A ‘DAKINI AND CHITIPATI’ RITUAL HOOK, PROBABLY MADE FROM METEORIC IRON
Sold for €41,600
including Buyer's Premium
Expert’s Note:
The surface of this Tibetan ritual hook, most likely crafted from meteoric iron, bears distinct marks, typical of its past. Scattered across its surface are shallow pits, the result of intense heat during its formation. These areas are interspersed with regions where the metal appears to have melted down and re-hardened, creating a rough and irregular texture, especially when observed under a strong magnifying glass. In some places, faint streaks of darkened discoloration add to the raw, elemental beauty of the iron, serving as a reminder of the extreme temperatures it once endured.
In Tibet, the most powerful and efficacious ritual implements were forged from meteoric iron. Also known as 'celestial iron', this metal was considered a superior medium for its apotropaic qualities in repelling demonic forces and maintaining a mandala's structural integrity. See John C. Huntington & Dina Bangdel, The Circle of Bliss, Buddhist Meditational Art, Columbus Museum of Art, 2003, page 506. For a small skull-form ornament, described as “possibly meteoric”, and dated “17th century or later”, see Christie’s Paris, 14 December 2023, lot 740 (fig.1).
Iron meteorites, composed predominantly of an iron-nickel alloy known as meteoric iron, were one of the earliest sources of usable iron for humans. Their natural malleability and ductility made them workable long before the advent of smelting, which later marked the beginning of the Iron Age (fig. 2).
Tibet, 17th-18th century. Finely cast to each side with a wrathful dakini squatting over a chitipati head, above the hook with scrolling foliage and below the scroll-decorated loop formed by the dakini’s twisting hair strands.
Provenance: From a private collection of Himalayan art in the United Kingdom.
Condition: Very good condition with ancient wear, expected traces of use, surface irregularities as they typically appear in meteoric iron, minor areas of corrosion, small nicks, light scratches.
Weight: 330.9 g
Dimensions: Length 17.8 cm
Expert’s Note:
The surface of this Tibetan ritual hook, most likely crafted from meteoric iron, bears distinct marks, typical of its past. Scattered across its surface are shallow pits, the result of intense heat during its formation. These areas are interspersed with regions where the metal appears to have melted down and re-hardened, creating a rough and irregular texture, especially when observed under a strong magnifying glass. In some places, faint streaks of darkened discoloration add to the raw, elemental beauty of the iron, serving as a reminder of the extreme temperatures it once endured.
In Tibet, the most powerful and efficacious ritual implements were forged from meteoric iron. Also known as 'celestial iron', this metal was considered a superior medium for its apotropaic qualities in repelling demonic forces and maintaining a mandala's structural integrity. See John C. Huntington & Dina Bangdel, The Circle of Bliss, Buddhist Meditational Art, Columbus Museum of Art, 2003, page 506. For a small skull-form ornament, described as “possibly meteoric”, and dated “17th century or later”, see Christie’s Paris, 14 December 2023, lot 740 (fig.1).
Iron meteorites, composed predominantly of an iron-nickel alloy known as meteoric iron, were one of the earliest sources of usable iron for humans. Their natural malleability and ductility made them workable long before the advent of smelting, which later marked the beginning of the Iron Age (fig. 2).
Tibet, 17th-18th century. Finely cast to each side with a wrathful dakini squatting over a chitipati head, above the hook with scrolling foliage and below the scroll-decorated loop formed by the dakini’s twisting hair strands.
Provenance: From a private collection of Himalayan art in the United Kingdom.
Condition: Very good condition with ancient wear, expected traces of use, surface irregularities as they typically appear in meteoric iron, minor areas of corrosion, small nicks, light scratches.
Weight: 330.9 g
Dimensions: Length 17.8 cm
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