Tibetan Painted Altar Cabinet - Ca 1900

This painted cabinet is from Central Tibet and dates to the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century - circa 1900. All hand painted using mineral pigments, the central panels feature some of the 'Eight Auspicious Substances' flanked by vases of flowers. 

Top left: The Mirror (me-long) represents sight and being able to see one's self clearly. In Buddhism, the mirror is the symbol of emptiness & pure consciousness reflecting all objects impartially. 

Top right: Mustard Seed (yungs-'bru) was common in Tibet at the time of Buddha and used to produce cooking oil & lamp oil. It's often considered to be a wrathful substance used against negatives and demons. 

Bottom left: Durva Grass (rtsva dur-ba) is known in The West as Bermuda grass (capriola dactylon). It's often used to create a finger ring worn by Vedic priests in rituals representing the sacred knot of Vishnu.

Bottom right:  Vermillion Powder (li-khri) is a symbol of joy & prosperity and its red colour is a symbol of power. 

The lower two panels depict phoenixes flanking a central panel of cintamani (wish-granting jewels). The four central panels open to reveal a large interior space for storage.

Tibetan altar cabinets became more prominently used in Tibet from the 19th century onwards - Prior to this, chests were the most common form of furniture in Tibet. Cabinets like this were constructed from cedar or pine and painted using mineral pigments. They were often used as family altars & were used to store religious scrolls, silk ceremonial clothes, family jewelry, and yak butter used in lamps. Often people would gift painted furniture to temples as offerings.

Original antique Tibetan cabinets are now very rare and there were many reproduction pieces made in China in the 1980's coming onto the market. 

For further information on Tibetan symbolism, see Tibetan Buddhist Symbols by R Beer. 

From Tibet

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