A parcel-gilt silver “monk’s cap” ewer

Tibet, 19th century

Details

A parcel-gilt silver “monk’s cap” ewer
Tibet, 19th century
Beautifully formed with a hammered globular body tapering towards the splayed foot, with a pronounced ridge at the base of the slightly flared neck and the elongated, curved spout which projects from the galleried rim of "monk's cap" outline, the peak of the rim rising above intricately detailed handle in the form of a five-clawed dragon terminating on the high shoulder, with the eight auspicious symbols amongst the intertwining foliage on the neck, the shoulder with beaded festoons and a makara at the spout, richly parcel-gilt overall
17¾ in. high (44.8 cm.) high

Provenance

Collection of Guy and Marie-Hélène Weill, New York, acquired from Sotheby's, 31 March 1999, lot 24

Brought to you by

Anita Mehta

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Lot Essay

This particular ewer form is a Lamaist Buddhist ritual vessel, which takes its name, “monk's cap ewer,” from the shape of its upper section, which resembles a Tibetan monk's hat. This form is usually associated with the Yongle period (1402 - 1424), when the emperor ordered significant quantities of porcelain sacrificial vessels of this shape to be made at the imperial kilns for the ceremonies conducted by the Tibetan hierarchs, particularly those undertaken in honor of the emperor's deceased parents in 1407.
For a closely related example, also in parcel-gilt silver from the Potala Palace Collection, see Treasures from Snow Mountains - Gems of Tibetan Cultural Relics, Shanghai Museum, 2001, p.180, no.91.

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