A MINIATURE STAND SILVER 'KAPALA' WITH A GOLD COVER AND ENAMEL STAND QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD

based on the Tibetan ritual skull cups, the hammered silver skull-shaped vessel decorated with a band of trefoils in relief below a beaded edge at the rim, the fitted gold domed cover embellished with inset-turquoise and beaded borders between ruyi-head bands cast in low relief, surmounted by a bud-shaped knop adorned with overlapping leaves springing from lotus lappets, all supported by three gilt-bronze vajra-heads raised on a waisted pedestal of triangular section, enamelled brightly on a copper body with stylised flower blooms borne on foliate scrolls reserved on a bright yellow ground, the interior of the pedestal enamelled turquoise

There are some shallow dents and minor warp to the gold cover. The box has some tarnishing and scratches to the metal, as well as some wear to the gilding. The pedestal also has wear to the gilt decoration and fine minor crackles to the enamelled areas. Apart from that, the overall condition is very good.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This exquisite kapala bowl and stand represent the luxurious nature of Buddhist implements created for one of the many Buddhist temples within the grounds of the Forbidden City. A kapala (Sanskrit for 'skull') bowl is a vessel that was made from a human skull and used as a ritual implement in the Esoteric Sect for a number of vajrayana deities, mainly wrathful. The Qing emperors were devoted followers of Tibetan Buddhism and while ritual and ceremonial implements were created under heavy supervision to ensure they adhered to canonical prescriptions, they often combined Chinese decorative styles and valuable materials that were suited to the imperial court. This fusion is evident in the floral enamel decoration of the stand in place of representations of fire, and the bands encircling the rim of the bowl which traditionally was embellished with a row of skulls, while the inclusion of bands of ruyi on the cover is also quintessentially Chinese in style.

In its most benign symbolism, as it resembles the begging bowl of a Buddhist ascetic, the kapala bowl serves as a constant reminder of death and impermanence. They were often carved or elaborately inset with precious jewels and mounted on a triangular pedestal. Traditionally the triangular stand, representing the wrathful element of fire, was surmounted by three skulls which have been replaced with three vajra heads on the present stand.

A kapala bowl made of a human skull, also with a turquoise inlaid gold cover but mounted on an intricate foliate gold stand, in the Tibet Museum, Lhasa, was included in the exhibition Treasures from Snow Mountains. Gems of Tibetan Cultural Relics, Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, 2001, cat. no. 71; and another, the cover cast with the bajixiang and the stand with fiery flames, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in Cultural Relics of Tibetan Buddhism Collected in the Qing Palace, Hong Kong, 1992, pl. 140.