A GOLD AND TURQUOISE GAU


TIBET, 17TH/18TH CENTURYShakyamuni's right arm repaired with silver inlay; the back of the gau with a Tibetan inscription of the Buddhist mantra "Om Ah Hum."Himalayan Art Resources item no. 61786 6.5 cm (2 1/2 in.) high
|Tibetan craftsmen created such portable shrines (gaus) to carry while traveling, though rarely as ornate as the present example. Images of deities, teachers, or other religious objects could be placed inside as a reminder of the presence of an enlightened being and for blessings. As Rhie and Thurman explain, "the least educated among [Tibetans] was still perfectly aware that the image or object in the gau was not the deity or historical figure they were remembering. But it served as a site where the wisdom emanation of that enlightened being could be invoked and communicated with." (Rhie and Thurman, A Shrine for Tibet, New York, 2009, p.255) A high relief image of Shakyamuni flanked by his two principle disciples, Shariputra and Maudgalyayana, appears at the center of the exquisite gold gau. Shakyamuni's lotus throne and mandorla are lavishly inset with carefully selected teardrop-cut turquoise stones. Compare similarly arranged turquoise borders of two other gold gaus, one in the Rietberg Museum, published in Uhlig, On the Path to Enlightenment, Zurich, 1995, p.210, no.157, another sold at Christie's, New York, 21 September 2007, lot 152. 镶松石金質嘎烏盒 西藏，十七/十八世紀 釋迦牟尼右手臂以鑲銀修補；嘎烏盒背面以藏文刻有「唵阿吽」三字真言。 喜馬拉雅藝術資源網61786號 高6.5釐米（2 1/2英吋） 1,000,000-1,500,000港元 西藏匠人常製作此等隨身佛龕（嘎烏盒），以供信眾外出時隨身攜帶。然而如此件一般精緻華美的並不多見。嘎烏盒中可供奉神祗、上師或其他宗教禮器，以供祭拜及祈福。Rhie及Thurman指出：「在西藏，一般大眾皆了解嘎烏盒中供奉的塑像並不是他們信奉的神祗或歷史人物本身，而嘎烏盒是喚發神靈的智慧、讓信徒與祂們交流的信仰祭壇。」（出處：Rhie及Thurman，《A Shrine for Tibet》，紐約，2009年，頁255） 精美的金盒中央以高浮雕塑造釋迦牟尼佛，其弟子舍利佛與目犍連伴於兩側，佛祖的蓮座及佛光以精挑細選的淚滴狀綠松石鑲崁裝飾。另論兩件有相似松石鑲邊的嘎烏盒，一刊於Uhlig所著，《On the Path to Enlightenment》，蘇黎世，1995年，頁210，157號，另一件於紐約佳士得售出，2007年9月21日，拍品152號。