LACMA

ShopMembershipMyLACMATickets
LACMA
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
5905 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@lacma.org
(323) 857-6000
Sign up to receive emails
Subscribe
© Museum Associates 2025

Museum Hours

Monday

11 am–6 pm

Tuesday

11 am–6 pm

Wednesday

Closed

Thursday

11 am–6 pm

Friday

11 am–8 pm

Saturday

10 am–7 pm

Sunday

10 am–7 pm

 

  • About LACMA
  • Jobs
  • Building LACMA
  • Host An Event
  • Unframed
  • Press
  • FAQs
  • Log in to MyLACMA
  • Privacy Policy
© Museum Associates 2025
Collections

Unknown
Ceremonial Ewer18th century

Not on view
Metal and rock crystal ewer densely encrusted with turquoise mosaic, coral-colored stones at the base, a carved rock crystal face medallion on the body, and a curved dragon-head spout
Ewer with a bulbous body densely set with turquoise and coral stones in silver mounts, a curved dragon-head handle, long upswept spout, and a carved rock crystal neck and lid; central medallion features a carved relief face in crystal.
Metal vessel densely encrusted with polished turquoise stones set in silver, featuring a carved rock crystal medallion depicting a bearded face with metal and ruby inlaid eyes; amber stones border the base.
Rock crystal vessel with faceted, ribbed body, topped by a domed silver lid densely set with red garnets, turquoise, and polychrome stones, surmounted by a pearl finial; silver mounts at base set with turquoise cabochons; zoomorphic handle at right.
Rock crystal vessel with a fluted, bell-shaped body mounted in silver fittings set with turquoise and red gemstones. Domed lid encrusted with dark red stones and turquoise cabochons, topped with a translucent crystal finial. A sculpted dragon-head spout extends from the lower body.
Close-up of a vessel encrusted with turquoise stones set in metal, centered on a carved rock crystal roundel depicting a wrathful face with garnet inlaid eyes; orange and amber stones ring the base.
Artist or Maker
Unknown
Title
Ceremonial Ewer
Place Made
Central Tibet, Gyantse (?) (by a Newar artist)
Date Made
18th century
Medium
Silver inlaid with rock crystal, turquoise, and opal
Dimensions
11 1/2 x 6 x 2 1/4 in. (29.2 x 15.24 x 5.71 cm)
Credit Line
Purchased with funds provided by The Ahmanson Foundation
Accession Number
M.75.10
Classification
Furnishings
Collecting Area
South and Southeast Asian Art
Curatorial Notes

The ceremonial water ewer (Sanskrit: kalasha; Tibetan: ril-ba) is used in Buddhist rituals of ablution and consecration, and is a symbol of purification. During ceremonies, when a Buddhist priest sprinkles disciples with the "Water of Life" or "Nectar of Immortality" from the vessel, he bestows blessings. The water ewer is the symbol of Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future. It is also an attribute of the 8000-armed form of Avalokiteshvara (the Bodhisattva of Compassion), who uses it to relieve the thirst of all beings and purify their despondency and negative karma with the gentle waters of its compassion.

This morphological form of this Tibetan ewer derives from that of a Central Asian, Islamic, or Indo-Islamic water vessel (aftaba), such as AC1995.52.1 and M.83.2.2. Its silver filigree and gem-encrusted inlay indicate it was made by a Newari artist in Tibet or working for the Tibetan trade. The ewer has a bulbous body inset with turquoise that is supported by a pedestal foot inset with opals and turquoise. The principal decorative motif on the body is a rock crystal mask of a mythical animal, the zipac, which is a Tibetan apotropaic symbol resembling the Indian "Face of Glory" (kirttimukha) and the Chinese gluttonous creature (taotie). The neck is a fluted and hollowed piece of rock crystal that flares at the top into lotus petals. The lid is encrusted with inset gemstones and has a rock crystal knob finial in the form of a lotus bud. The vessel has a tall, slender silver spout issuing out of the mouth of a mythical aquatic creature (makara). It has a S-shaped silver handle terminating in a dragon’s head at the neck with an inlaid foliated tail attached to the body. See also M.84.227.2 and M.85.295.2a-b.

Selected Bibliography
  • Pal, Pratapaditya. Art of Tibet. Expanded edition. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1990.
  • Pal, Pratapaditya. Art of Tibet. Los Angeles; Berkeley, CA: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; University of California Press, 1983.
  • McArthur, Meher. Reading Buddhist Art: An Illustrated Guide to Buddhist Signs and Symbols. London: Thames & Hudson, 2002.
  • Fisher, Robert E. Art of Tibet. London: Thames and Hudson, 1997.
Selected Exhibition History
  • Ritual Offerings in Tibetan Art. Saturday, September 13, 2014 - Sunday, October 25, 2015
  • Ritual Offerings in Tibetan Art. Saturday, September 13, 2014 - Sunday, October 25, 2015