160 - SILVER AND GILT VASE TIBET 18TH CENTURY

SILVER AND GILT VASE TIBET 18TH CENTURY Dimensions: Height 10 cm Wide 4 cm Depth 4 cm Weight: 83 grams A small, slender silver-toned vessel with gilt mounts and a strikingly architectural profile. A spreading lotus-petal foot rises through a turned stem to a rounded body, above which sits a narrower neck and open spherical mouth. Three beaded gilt straps descend from the shoulder, ending in ornamental mounts set with turquoise-coloured cabochons. The contrast of darkened silver surfaces, bright gilding and vivid blue-green accents gives the vessel an unusually rich appearance. Tibetan ritual and ceremonial metalwork often combines precious metals with jewel-like ornament, using lotus forms and repeated beading to confer visual dignity on objects of modest scale. Here the applied straps also articulate the transition between the vessel's separate rounded volumes, making the silhouette as important as the decoration. The piece is distinguished by the carefully balanced tiers of its construction and the restrained placement of colour against the metallic surface.