A SMALL COLLECTION OF ANTIQUE SILVER
AND OBJECTS OF VERTU
silver gau - Tibet
A Gau (also spelled Ghau or Gao) is a Tibetan Buddhist amulet container or prayer box, usually made of metal and worn as jewelry.Because they are worn as jewelry, Gaus are made of metal and are often ornamented with semi-precious stones, but they vary enormously in style according to the taste of the designer. As used in Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, and Mongolia, the Gau box usually contains a written prayer or a sacred yantra diagram such as the kalachakra. The prayers and yantras are usually hand inscribed or block-printed by a priest and they are always blessed before use.
This is a gau of Tibetan provenance composed of a five sides box with a small opening on the front displaying a Tibetan deity resting on a bed of written prayers filling the whole box inside.
The silver front is richly embossed with dragons, mythological figures and floral decorations.
The box is contained in a properly shaped fabric bag provided with suspension belt.
The gau measures 4 1/4 x 3 in. (cm. 10,5 x7) and was bought in a street market in Tibet.
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