Tibetan Ga’u

Circular Silver & Turquoise Amulet Box (Ga’u)

This fine, round ga’u (talismanic box) comes from Eastern Tibet. It comprises a repoussed and chased silver front with a central hole or ‘window’, sides of silver sheet with two pairs of lugs on either side, and a hammered copper sheet backing plate which fits into the reverse of the ga’u.

The round window in the front would have framed a relief-moulded clay votive tablet or

tsha-tsha. The silver front is decorated with a prominent garuda figure at the top, then two dragons on either side, followed by a Himalayan tiger and lion to either side, and then finally at the bottom, a beautifully rendered flower inset with a single turquoise cabochon at its centre. These figures are amid leafy and vine scrolls, are all in high relief, and are withing ‘pearled’ silver edges.

See Prosser (2010, p. 123) for a similar round example in the Newark Museum which the Museum attributes to the 19th century.

The

ga’u is in excellent condition.

Such

ga’us were worn by Tibetan on journeys as talismanic or protective devices. As well as containing a tsha-tsha, they often contained an assortment of other items deemed to have protective value, including small pieces of paper inscribed with Tibetan mantras, small seashells and so on.

Proser, A., (ed.), Pilgrimage and Buddhist Art, Asia Society Museum/Yale University Press, 2010.

private collection, Denmark