GRAND PLAT D'OFFRANDE RITUEL EN FER DAMASQUINÉ ARGENT ET CUIVRE TIBET, XVIIE SIÈCLEGRAND PLAT D'OFFRANDE RITUEL EN FER DAMASQUINÉ ARGENT ET CUIVRETIBET, XVIIE SIÈCLE Himalayan Art Resources item no. 205026 47.5 cm (18 3/4 in.) diam.A LARGE SILVER AND COPPER DAMASCENED IRON RITUAL OFFERING DISH TIBET, 17TH CENTURY 西藏 十七世紀 鐵鋄銀銅供盤 Conjuring charnel ground scenes by the alternating arrangement of silver and copper skulls on the outer rim, this impressively large dish likely contained banquet offerings for a gonkhang, or a small chapel dedicated to the ritual pacification of wrathful protector deities (Dharmapalas). Its attribution to Eastern Tibet is possible, given that the kingdom of Derge was well-known for damascening iron. Although not of the same shape, another dish with a footrim bears worthwhile comparison for its similar use of charnel ground imagery at the exterior of the rim (HAR 66778).Published:Natalie Bazin, Rituels tibétains: Visions secrètes du Vème Dalaï Lama, Paris, 2002, p. 167, no. 142.Exhibited:Rituels tibétains: Visions secrètes du Vème Dalaï Lama, Musée Guimet, Paris, 6 November 2002 - 24 February 2003.Provenance:Christie's, New York, 17 October 2001, lot 132