A RARE FIVE-PIECE SET OF RITUAL BONE ORNAMENTS (RUS RGYAN) WITH APRON, DIADEM, CHESTPLATE, AND ARMLETS, 18TH-19TH CENTURY

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A RARE FIVE-PIECE SET OF RITUAL BONE ORNAMENTS (RUS RGYAN) WITH APRON, DIADEM, CHESTPLATE, AND ARMLETS, 18TH-19TH CENTURY Tibet. The tantric ritual ensemble comprising a large apron, a five-panel diadem, a long chest ornament, and a pair of armlets, each assembled from finely carved and darkened bone plaques and numerous cylindrical bone beads, mounted on silk. The apron is set along the waistband with seven elongated, pointed plaques carved with dancing deities, interspersed with small floral spacers. Below, an elaborate lattice of strung beads is joined at the intersections by forty-five smaller plaques arranged in seven alternating rows of six and seven, including three pointed oval plaques depicting further dancing deities, together with petal-form rosettes, pierced roundels, and square panels carved with birds and other animals, endless knots, lotus blossoms, auspicious emblems, and scrolling foliage. The lower edge suspends festooned bead strands terminating in brightly colored silk tassels. The diadem is mounted with five pointed plaques depicting seated bodhisattvas upon lotus bases, separated by four small square floral plaques, each principal panel suspending a short beaded pendant. The long chest ornament incorporates twelve principal plaques: two elongated vertical panels, four transverse double-pointed plaques, four crescent or shield-shaped plaques, a pierced circular rosette, and a small rounded foliate plaque, variously decorated with vajras and Buddhist lions. Each armlet is formed with a broad double-pointed central plaque carved with foliate designs, flanked by two narrow transverse plaques decorated with rows of circular bosses. (5) Dimensions: Length 22.5-71 cm This bone ornament set comprises ritual power objects. Properly understood in its physical, verbal, and mental aspects, it transforms the wearer from a scattered person (prthag, scattered; jana, person) into the extraordinary ‘sky walker’ or dakini—a female Buddha embodying the wisdom (prajna) of emptiness (shunyata) which is at once the ultimate reality and origin of all things. She can be terrifying as befits her garment, for bone symbolizes the impermanence (anityatva) and thus ceaseless momentary (kshanika) transformations that characterize the Tibetan Buddhist cosmos. This ritual symbolically transforms the wearer as a dakini or “sky walker” capable of moving from one distant region of the universe to another, by virtue of the fact that they have realized all phenomena (sarva dharma), lack cores (svabhava), and are thus empty (shunya). Such sets are used both in Tantric rituals and religious dance performances. The carved designs on the bone are both figurative and decorative. The majority of the known sets in public and private collections have figures from the Chakrasamvara cycle of Tantric practice. The full mandala of Chakrasamvara has sixty-two deities. An elaborate set of bone ornaments would have the most important figures represented from the mandala but not necessarily all sixty-two deities. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related ritual bone apron, dated to the 18th century, 81.3 x 55.9 cm, in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, object number B60M101. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 19 March 2014, lot 126 Price: USD 18,750 or approx. EUR 23,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related square-shaped medallions and plaques. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s New York, 25 March 2004, lot 98 Price: USD 17,950 or approx. EUR 27,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and manner of carving with similar square-shaped medallions and plaques. Note the Dsize (83.5 x 72 cm).

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