Images of Devotion - capriaquar.it

17. Ga’u
Gold, turquoise, lapis lazuli, coral, silver
Tibet
19 th century
18x11x3 cm
Ga’us are decorated boxes for holding and carrying relics,
talismans, sacred items and images of Buddhas or deities.
This remarkable piece decorated with plant motifs in filigree,
a technique imported into Tibet by the Newar artists
of the Nepal Valley 1 , features symbols and images of minor
deities and mounted semi-precious stones. Given the quality
of the craftsmanship of this piece, it might have come from
a town like Shigatse, in southwest Tibet, where the standard
of the goldsmith’s art was very high. Shigatse was an
important centre for this kind of work and one of the places
where generations of Newar artists lived over the centuries.
The frontal section of this ga’u is set on a double lotus-shaped
base produced using turquoises and depicts the Eight Auspicious
Symbols of Good Fortune, divided between the two
sides of the frame. Said symbols are the Lotus, the vase
containing the nectar of long life, the two fish facing each
other, the umbrella, the conch shell, the endless knot, the
banner of victory and the wheel of the Dharma. The eight
symbols are repeated on the sides of the box, where there
are also two rings, through which a cord would be threaded
in order to attach the ga’u to a belt. At the top of the front, in
the centre, there is Garuda (see no. 7), finely produced using
turquoises, corals and lapis lazuli. Garuda is accompanied
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by two flying gods produced with turquoises and shown
making the gesture of homage (namaskâra-mudrâ). A
kîrtimukha (“Face of Glory”) has been depicted in the lower
section. This monstrous being of Shaiva origin 2 became highly
popular in Buddhism, too. Three stylized strings of gold beads
of differing sizes are visible on the outer edge of the frontal
frame.
An image of Yama, the bull-headed Lord of Death of Vedic
origin adopted by Buddhists has been added to the interior.
In a Buddhist context Yama plays several roles, but mainly
that of protector of the doctrine in virtue of his connection
with death and of his function of judge of the actions of the
deceased. Indian texts describe him as being stout, oneheaded,
having a ferocious appearance and holding a sceptre
in his right hand and a lasso or another attribute in his left.
However, they make no reference to the bull-head with which
he is depicted in Buddhist iconography 3 . The dark blue colour,
which is a characteristic of his iconography, is that of the
stone, lapis lazuli, used for this image. Yama, here with his
sister Yamî, has been depicted standing and with an erect
penis, in a militant posture on a buffalo, a symbol of evil. This
latter is crushing the body of an enemy of the Buddhist doctrine,
symbolizing the obstacles which may appear along the
pathway to Enlightenment.
1 John Clarke, Jewellery of Tibet and the Himalayas, Timeless
Books, Delhi 2004, p. 45.
2 Robert Beer, The Handbook of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols, Serindia,
Chicago and London 2003, p. 78.
3 Erberto Lo Bue, Immagini divine e spazi sacri, in Erberto Lo Bue
- Chiara Bellini, Arte del Ladak. Tesori di arte buddhista nel Tibet
indiano dall’XI al XXI secolo, Jaca Book, Milano 2011 (forthcoming).