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Baronet 4 Tibet
Tibetan Buddhist Art furniture & Antiques from the monasteries of the Ser Shong (Golden Valley)
 

0310.32 Altar Table

BBB on line reliablility seal
Large view of Tibetan Buddhist Altar with Blue Yaks painted on front Large view of painted top of Buddhist altar table 4-petaled flower
Front view
left side
top view

 

Click on the pictures above to see larger views.

This is one of the older post occupation altars, the white detail has become contaminated and is now more brown than white .   The front doors depict a blue yak with a red nose. Yaks are a staple of the Tibetan diet, as well as of the economy.  See the iconography below for more information.  This table comes with a certificate of authenticity signed by Lha Sang, a Tibetan Buddhist monk at the Sange Monastery.  Lha Sang created a number of these tables with Kha Sang & Kalsan Gyatso, each unique in design. The wood is Asian cedar solids. The trim is done in the kyungbur technique that dominates Tibetan Buddhist art. The only metal hardware on this piece are the brass coins on the drawer fronts. The hinges of the doors are wood-pegs in the doors that fit into a hole in the underside of the top & slide into a groove on the base. The door-pull is the vertical kyungbur trim in the center of the two doors. The top, front, & both sides are hand-painted the right side is very similar to the left.
Age: approx. 1955-1960
Dimensions (overall)    H=20" W=21" D=14" (inside of doors) H=12" W=18" D=11" (drawer) H=3" D=12" W=8"  (all measurements + or - .25") 

To Purchase this item, get questions answered  or would like additional photographs, contact David either by calling 1-800-718-4238 or by emailing david@baronet4tibet.com

SOLD

Price $685.00, plus shipping: ~EAST COAST $94.00 ~  MIDWEST $85 ~/MTN STATES $79.00 ~   WEST COAST $72.00; other destinations, contact us  for a quote.    

Iconography

Each front door displays a wool-less yak, superimposed over a mountain scene with subtle energy radiating in the form of a rainbow,  which makes a connection with the cosmos. The two yaks are reminders of one of the Tibetan Plateau's most versatile commodities.  Until recently,  both domestic & wild yaks were found there. The yak is an essential part of the Tibetan diet, providing meat, milk, butter, & dried cheese.  The wool is spun to make rope & cloth; the hides are used for tents; & their bags & the tails has been exported for years as fly whisks.  In the hands of a deity, the fly whisk is a sign of compassion (e.g., "would not hurt a fly").  Yaks are also beasts of burden, pulling wagons & carts. In this depiction of one wild & one domestic yak, universal provision is acknowledged, & an offering is made.  The drawers' centers exhibit a four-petaled flower, symbolizing the four noble truths, with grass radiating outward, giving hope for a long life to attain these truths.  Grass, being highly resilient, is the symbol of long life.

The sides have an ashoka flower, the second of the holy trinity of flowers, in a mountain scene with cumulus clouds in the background.

The top of the altar has a 4-petaled flower with Durva grass radiating out, forming the shape of the 'eye of Buddha'. Durva grass is a symbol of long life.  Because grass is highly resilient, it is believed to be immortal.  Therefore, it proclaims the end of samsara, the successive death and rebirth of all beings  It usually takes a long time to overcome samsara, and a longer life span will allow greater progress in moving towards enlightenment within a given cycle. The 4-petaled flower is symbolic of the 4 Noble truths, the middle way and the first teaching of Buddha. 1. Life is suffering. 2. Ignorance is the cause of suffering.  3. The cessation of suffering is the goal of life because it transcends pains and pleasure.  4. The way to the cessation of suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path, which aligns with the eight spokes of the Dharma Wheel.

An expanded Iconography will be supplied upon purchase