27th Jun, 2025 11:00
Fine Asian Art Summer Sale
33
A FINE SILVER REPOUSSÉ GAU WITH DRAGONS, TIBET, 19TH-EARLY 20TH CENTURY
Sold for €650
including Buyer's Premium
Finely chased and embossed, the shrine of lobed outline with three similarly shaped windows, one at the central top and two arranged below, encircling a detailed lotus flower. Flanked by a pair of dragons, both chasing the sacred pearl and surrounded by neatly incised scrolling vines. All set above a lotus pedestal.
The sides are fitted with two rectangular cord loops on each side for suspension.
Provenance: Austrian private collection.
Condition: Good condition with wear, irregularities, traces of use, few minute nicks and light scratches. With a natural patina.
Weight: 794 g
Dimensions: Height 23 cm
Gaus are sacred receptacles serving many purposes in Tibetan daily life, including as a sign of social status and rank. They are most commonly constructed from metal repoussé and made according to three different sizes. The small and medium sized gaus are portable, like the present lot, while the largest of gaus were often placed within a home or temple. All hold sacred and auspicious objects including tsatsas which can often be seen through a viewing window. Their purpose, as stated by Rhie and Thurman, “...served as a site where the wisdom emanation of that enlightened being could be invoked and communicated with.” (A Shrine for Tibet, New York, 2009, p. 255)
Literature comparison:
Compare a related Tibetan silver repoussé Gau, dated 17th-18th century, in the Seattle Asian Art Museum, accession number 65.95. Compare a related Tibetan silver repoussé Gau, dated 19th century, in the British Museum, registration number 1934,1210.1.
Finely chased and embossed, the shrine of lobed outline with three similarly shaped windows, one at the central top and two arranged below, encircling a detailed lotus flower. Flanked by a pair of dragons, both chasing the sacred pearl and surrounded by neatly incised scrolling vines. All set above a lotus pedestal.
The sides are fitted with two rectangular cord loops on each side for suspension.
Provenance: Austrian private collection.
Condition: Good condition with wear, irregularities, traces of use, few minute nicks and light scratches. With a natural patina.
Weight: 794 g
Dimensions: Height 23 cm
Gaus are sacred receptacles serving many purposes in Tibetan daily life, including as a sign of social status and rank. They are most commonly constructed from metal repoussé and made according to three different sizes. The small and medium sized gaus are portable, like the present lot, while the largest of gaus were often placed within a home or temple. All hold sacred and auspicious objects including tsatsas which can often be seen through a viewing window. Their purpose, as stated by Rhie and Thurman, “...served as a site where the wisdom emanation of that enlightened being could be invoked and communicated with.” (A Shrine for Tibet, New York, 2009, p. 255)
Literature comparison:
Compare a related Tibetan silver repoussé Gau, dated 17th-18th century, in the Seattle Asian Art Museum, accession number 65.95. Compare a related Tibetan silver repoussé Gau, dated 19th century, in the British Museum, registration number 1934,1210.1.
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