19th Century Tibetan Gilt Bronze Kapala Skullcup

A Nepalese/Tibetan gilt bronze Kapala (skullcup), 19th century,…
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A Nepalese/Tibetan gilt bronze Kapala (skullcup), 19th century, heavily cast, with five syllables on the cup, representing the five nectars being consumed or visualized by tantric practitioners. The base of the cup with five Sanskrit syllables in Rañjan script, also known as Lantsha. The syllables are, reading clockwise from the top, with the narrow end of the skullcup pointed upwards, HU, TRI VR, JI, *The five syllables on the skullcup represent the five nectars (Tibetan: bdud rtzi, lnga, Sanskrit: pañ cmta) that are to be consumed or visualized by tantric practitioners. They are given differently in different traditions. The style of writing does not always follow standard shapes, i.e. the VR could be read, Ñ and the TRI may be meant to read KHA. This suggests Tibetan rather than Nepalese workmanship, 17.6 cm high

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  • Bronze - An alloy of copper and tin, traditionally in the proportions of about 9 parts of copper to 1 part of tin.

    The discovery of bronze in Western Asia in the 4th century enabled people to create metal objects which were superior to those previoulsy possible because of its strength and hardness, and it has been used throughout the world for weapons, coins, tools, statuary and other decorative items.

    It is very fluid in a molten state, and its hardness, strength when set, and non-corrosive properties makes it most suitable for casting sculpture.

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