Unknown
Vase of Immortality with the Head of a Wind-Horse and the Precious Jewel18th-early 19th century

Not on view

Tall silver metalwork vessel with filigree scrollwork, set with turquoise and coral stones, topped by a flame-shaped aureole with gilded interior and a small animal figure at the neck

Tibetan silver ritual vessel on a stepped base, with intricate filigree scrollwork, a flame-shaped backplate with gilt center, and inset turquoise and coral cabochons throughout.

Silver ritual object with intricate filigree scrollwork, featuring a sculptural animal head—possibly a cow or bull—surmounted by a flame-shaped halo set with a gold filigree inner panel, a coral cabochon, and a turquoise stone at the apex.

Silver metalwork ornament with a broad teardrop-shaped upper plate bearing a central repoussé medallion with script characters, above a cylindrical band decorated with intricate scrolling filigree and coiled wire edging.

Artist or Maker: Unknown
Title: Vase of Immortality with the Head of a Wind-Horse and the Precious Jewel
Place Made: Tibet (by a Newar artist)
Date Made: 18th-early 19th century
Medium: Silver and silver filigree, gold and gold filigree; inset with coral and turquoise
Dimensions: a) Finial: 5 x 3 x 1/2 in. (12.7 x 7.62 x 1.27 cm); b) Stopper: 2 1/4 x 3/4 x 1 1/4 in. (5.72 x 1.91 x 3.18 cm); c) Vase height: 5 3/4 in. (14.61 cm); c) Vase diameter: 3 3/4 in. (9.53 cm); a-d) Overall height: 9 1/2 in. (24.13 cm); a-d) Overall diameter: 3 3/4 in. (9.53 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Julian Sands
Accession Number: M.2011.157.3a-c
Classification: Furnishings
Collecting Area: South and Southeast Asian Art
Curatorial Notes: The exquisite silver and gold filigree embellishing this vase suggest it was made in Tibet or for the Tibetan trade by a Newar artist, a member of the chief historical and cultural ethnicity in Nepal that was renowned for its fine filigree metalworking.

Known in Tibetan as a tshe bum, this Vase of Immortality with the Head of a Wind-Horse and the Precious Jewel was used in longevity rituals to dispense sacred water symbolizing amrita, the nectar of immortality. Related types of ritual water vases have a spout and are often graced with peacock feathers, whose eyespots or ocelli symbolize the transcendental insights of the Five Jina Buddhas (see M.83.2.1). The Vase of Immortality is also an attribute of Amitayus, the Buddha of Eternal Life (see M.84.32.5 and M.77.19.14).

The base has a bulbous body adorned with garlands. It is supported by a splayed foot resting on an elevated stand. Issuing out of the vase’s tapered horizontal cap are four silver filigree cascading pendants symbolizing the overflowing of the nectar of immortality. Protruding from the mouth of the vase is the head of a Wind-Horse, a symbol of well-being. The wish-fulfilling Precious Jewel is a teardrop-shaped finial. It is enriched with delicate silver and gold filigree in floral scrolls and inset with coral and turquoise. On the reverse of the finial is a stylized Sanskrit character representing a mystical "seed syllable" (bija) that embodies the spiritual essence of the particular mantra invoked.
Selected Bibliography: Little, Stephen, Tushara Bindu Gude, Karina Romero Blanco, Silvia Seligson, Marco Antonio Karam. Las Huellas de Buda. Ciudad de México : Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, 2018.
Little, Stephen, and Tushara Bindu Gude. Realms of the Dharma: Buddhist Art across Asia. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2025.

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