Antique Painted Trapezoidal Box from Tibet

Antique Painted Trapezoidal Box from Tibet

Richly patinated hinged pine boxes like this are rarely seen today… It’s distinctive shape, russet red lacquered surface, and metal hardware embellishment suggest it was a Lama’s storage container for ritual objects and manuscripts.

The esoteric symbols in gold leaf and the pleasant aroma of butter lamp smoke add to this thought, as it may have been kept on or near a private altar.

The inside suggests it is much older than the surface decoration.It measures 8.5”- 9” across, is 7” high and approximately 5”deep.

Collected in Kathmandu in the 1990s, it has since been a beloved part of my personal collection and sure to become a favorite in the collection of the next owner!

A reflective sheen makes this handsome object a bit difficult to accurately photograph. Sadly these images don’t capture the “essence or presence” that it innately has in person. More photos can be made available upon request.

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$1,400