A SILVER-MOUNTED ‘CITIPATI’ KAPALA WITH CORAL AND TURQUOISE CABOCHONS, TIBET, 18TH-19TH CENTURY
The smoothly polished skull cup is fitted with a silver lining to the interior, the exterior rim with a band of repoussé citipati skulls in high relief, the front and back each with three cabochons, a turquoise stone flanked by two coral gems. The scull bone preserves the bregma and sagittal sutures and shows a fine, natural patina overall.


Provenance:
French trade.

Condition:
Good condition with old wear, manufacturing irregularities, and natural imperfections. Small dents, tiny scratches. One of the cabochons is an old replacement made of glass.

Weight: 411.6 g
Dimensions: Length 18.5 cm


A kapala
(Sanskrit for "skull") is a skull cup used as a ritual implement in both Hindu and Buddhist Tantra. Especially in Tibet, they are often carved or elaborately mounted with precious metals and jewels. 'Scented' skull cups are seen in the hands of many wrathful deities. During tantric meditations these skull cups are filled with an alcoholic ritual substance visualized by monks as containing five corpses and five bodily excretions. The meditation transforms this into ambrosia, parallel to the transformation of the five delusions into the five wisdoms, and the five poisons into the five Tathagathas.


Expert’s note
: Memento mori (Latin for ‘remember that you will die’) is an artistic and symbolic reminder of the inevitability of death. Altogether sobering, and in some sense comforting, it’s an epitaph for the masses - commoners and kings alike. Such art, which already appeared in ancient cultures, is also associated with festivals in remembrance and honor of the deceased, as held by many peoples throughout the world. These include the Mexican Day of the Dead and several Tibetan festivals where
the dance of the Citipati is performed
.


Literature comparison:

Compare a related kapala with a brass lining and similar coral and turquoise cabochons, 28.2 cm long, dated ca. 19th century, in the British Museum, registration number 1931,1124.1.a.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Bonhams New York, 18 September 2013, lot 46
Price: USD 4,375 or approx.
EUR 5,200
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A silver mounted chod kapala, 17th-19th century
Expert remark: Compare the related skull cup with similar sutures and silver mounting. Note the size (18 cm) and the lack of citipati skulls.




西藏十八至十九世紀包銀鑲綠松石和珊瑚嘎巴拉碗


藏傳佛教法器嘎巴拉碗光滑拋光，內壁包銀，碗口邊緣鏨銀骷髏紋帶；正面和背面各有三個鑲綠松石和珊瑚。顱骨整體呈現出細膩自然的包漿。


來源：
法國古玩交易。


品相：
狀況良好，有磨損和自然缺陷，小凹痕，小劃痕。其中一個凸圓形寶石是由玻璃製成的替代品。

重量：411.6 克
尺寸：長18.5 厘米

文獻比較：

比較一件相近的約十九世紀黃銅鑲綠松石和珊瑚嘎巴拉碗，28.2 厘米長，收藏於大英博物館，館藏編號1931,1124.1.a。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：紐約邦翰斯，2013年9月18日，lot 46
價格：USD 4,375（相當於今日
EUR 5,200
）
描述：十七至十九世紀包銀嘎巴拉碗
專家評論：比較相近的骷髏杯，相似的縫合線和包銀鑲。請注意尺寸(18 厘米) ，但沒有骷髏紋帶。