Votive stupa

At the Ader auction house’s (Souksi-Fray) Asian art sale on Tuesday, November 10, at Drouot (Room 4), a votive reliquary will stand out for its powerful and symbolic presence, despite its small size (height: 16 cm). This stupa ( Chaitya ), made of gilded copper alloy and cast in Nepal in the 18th-century, is expected to fetch between €6, 000 and €8, 000. It possesses all the characteristics of a “masterpiece,” featuring depictions of the four celestial Buddhas around the hemispherical dome, positioned at the four cardinal points. The anda (the central section) is topped by a thirteen-tiered spire symbolizing the stages of purification that the mind must pass through to attain Enlightenment.