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Tashilhunpo Monastery: Five-Skull Crown
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Tashilhunpo Monastery: Five-Skull Crown
CHINA, Tibet, Shigatse; 17th–20th century; Oyster shell; H: 7 cm; National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan
Originally kept in Tashilhunpo Monastery, this five-skull crown was later sent to the Qing Imperial Palace by a Gurkha in 1793.
The skulls on the crown are made from oyster shells which are sewn onto a red band and connected by two rows of pearls and a few beads made from coral and lapis lazuli. Above each skull, there is an image of a lotus pod surrounded by a flame pattern. The yellow label indicates that the crown was accepted as a gift by the imperial palace. At one end of the red band, there is a mantra written in black ink. The crown is kept in a wooden box, whose lid has a text narrating the provenance of the crown in Chinese, Manchu, Mongolian, and Tibetan. |
