A GILT COPPER ALLOY REPOUSSÉ RITUAL TRIPODDOLONNOR, QING DYNASTY, 18TH/19TH CENTURY Himalayan Art Resources item no.4489 23 5/8 in. (60 cm) high 多倫諾爾 清 十八/十九世紀 銅鎏金錘揲三足供架 Ritual stands such as this rare, large-scale example play an important role in tantric Buddhist practices while creating a powerful visual image. Here the three struts are formed by imaginative mythical beasts designed with apilation of features that would enable them to traverse water, land, and air. Each beast stands upright and alert on a short pair of legs and talons gripping human skulls. Their elongated bodies with reptilian skin curl upwards before emerging into an elaborate scrolling tail that supports a ring of three wrathful heads. Offering stands are created for tantric ceremonies such as the long-life ritual or initiation ritual, and are often placed in the center of a sand mandala while supporting a large vase or an offering bowl. A 19th-century thangka of Namkhai Nyingpo preserved at the Rubin Museum of Art, New York (C2006.66.20) clearly illustrates one such ritual: the 8th-century master is shown at the center of theposition performing a longevity ritual. To his right is a large ceremonial stage featuring a mandala, upon which a tripod stand has been placed to support a long-life vase decorated with peacock feathers. An assembly of immortality deities is invoked in the ritual and emanates out of the vase. pare the treatment of the heads – particularly the broad beak-like nose, the deeply furrowed forehead, and the even parting of the hair – to a repoussé figure of Mahakala from Dolonnor formerly in the Maitri Collection (, New York, 20 March 2018, lot 3215). Alsopare with a singular repoussé dragon figure sold , London, 7 November 2019, lot 16 and a Dolonnor Makaramukha sold , New York, 19 March 2018, lot 3053. Also see a much smaller Yongle-period tripod stand with similar formation, likely used to support a conch shell or a kapala on an altar table, sold at Christie's, Hong Kong, 30 May 2017, lot 2806. Provenance: Estate of Major E.G. Byers, acquired in China around 1920 Private Georgia Collection