Circular box

ca. 1801-1900

Although gold was prized more than silver in Nepal and Tibet, the sheer size of this box and its lavish use of pearls and lapis lazuli make it a luxurious item. The finely worked silver around the lid’s jeweled center includes a wide inner band depicting a range of auspicious creatures. The outer band mimics a garland of skulls (kapalamala) worn by certain deities and used as a rosary in Tantric Buddhism.

Silver, gold, red velvet, garnets, turquoise, pearls, glass, rock crystal, and semiprecious stones

8 1/2 in. (21.59 cm)

Diam.: 2 7/8 in.

Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection

65.100

Now on view at the Asian Art Museum

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, A Bead Quiz, July 1, 2008 - July 1, 2009.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Boundless: Stories of Asian Art, Feb. 8, 2020 - ongoing.

Seattle Art Museum respectfully acknowledges that we are on Indigenous land, the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. We honor our ongoing connection to these communities past, present, and future.

Learn more about Equity at SAM