A GILT COPPER ALLOY REPOUSSÉ TORANA


NEPAL, 17TH CENTURYHimalayan Art Resources item no.61694 57 cm (22 1/2 in.) high; 85 cm (33 1/2 in.) wide
|尼泊爾 十七世纪 銅鎏金錘揲托拉納拱門This elaborate assortment of mythical creatures frequently surrounds Buddha images. One of each plane – aquatic, terrestrial, and aerial – they evoke Nature's acceptance of Shakyamuni as a truly enlightened being, conveyed throughout his hagiography. These creatures also function as mythic guardians, with toranas like the present often appearing above openings to sacred spaces to prevent the invasion of polluting elements.Similar toranas can be found above multiple entrances of the Changu Narayan temple in Nepal. Another example is published in Ghose (ed.), Vanishing Beauty: Asian Jewelry and Ritual Objects from the Barbara and David Kipper Collection, Chicago, 2016, p.72, fig.65. ProvenanceTony Moore, London, 2005