KUNDIKA ET PLATEAU EN ALLIAGE DE CUIVRE DORÉ TIBET, XIXE SIÈCLEKUNDIKA ET PLATEAU EN ALLIAGE DE CUIVRE DORÉTIBET, XIXE SIÈCLEInset with turquoise and spinels;Himalayan Art Resources item no. 205093 17 cm (6 3/4 in.) high; With stand: 23 cm (9 1/8 in.) highA GILT COPPER ALLOY KUNDIKA AND BASIN TIBET, 19TH CENTURY 西藏 十九世紀 銅鎏金嵌寶軍持連供盤 This rare and complete set includes a basin chased with floral scrolls around the Eight Precious Symbols separated by petal-shaped cartouches borders and a kundika incised with multi-layered lotus petals. The kundika is a religious water vessel with ancient roots tracing back to the earliest Hindu and Buddhist traditions of India. Examples in China are known as early as the Tang Dynasty, where it served as one of several attributes associated with Avalokiteshvara, or Guanyin. As noted by Pal, 'such vessels were commissioned for use in Tibetan monasteries and temples and were used by Tibetan monks to rinse their mouths of impurities before prayer or after meals (Pal, The Art of Tibet, 1969, p. 158).Provenance: Michael Backman Ltd., London