A BRONZE AND IRON PHURBA, TIBET, 17TH CENTURY The triangular blade issuing from the mouth of a makara, the central section with a globular knob flanked by bands of lotus petals, surmounted by a three-headed wrathful deity with a fierce expression marked by bulging eyes below bushy eyebrows, the mouth agape revealing sharp fangs, the hair tied into a high chignon behind the skull tiara.

Provenance: A European private collection, assembled in the 1980s. A Swiss private collection, acquired from the above.
Published: Andrea Dell'Angelo, Filippo Lunardi, and Paola Vanzo, Tibet.Art.Now, 2011, Rome, pages 32-33.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and casting irregularities, small nicks, light surface scratches, remnants of red pigment, and malachite encrustations.

Weight: 1,166 g
Dimensions: Length 36 cm

Phurbas were not meant to be used in battle but were still an effective weapon in esoteric meditation and ritual practices. In connection with visualization techniques, it has the power to pin down and annihilate negative energies, hindrances, evil forces, and, ultimately, all forms of attachment to one's ego.

Although ritual daggers can vary in their form, the handle and the blade are said to combine transcendent wisdom and skillful means, respectively. The triple blades arranged around the central axis of the dagger symbolize mastery over the three realms of desire, form, and formlessness.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related three-bladed Phurba, dated to the 17^th century, Tibet, in the collection of the Rubin Museum of Art, object number C2005.16.66.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie's New York, 17 September 1999, lot 103
Price: USD 20,700 or approx. EUR 36,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Large Gilt Bronze Phurbu, Tibet, 17th century
Expert remark: Compare the related three-headed deity and makara. Note the material and size (45.8 cm).



西藏十七世紀銅鐵普巴金剛鐝
三頭忿怒護法神，頭戴骷髏冠結高，神情兇猛，濃眉下凸眼，口中獠牙。中部有球形結，兩側為蓮瓣。下方摩訶羅口中吐出三棱刀刃，其上為三頭忿怒本尊，頭髮在骷髏頭飾後面紮成一個高髮髻。

來源：歐洲私人收藏，創建於上世紀八十年代；瑞士私人收藏，購於上述收藏。
出版：Andrea Dell'Angelo，Filippo Lunardi與Paola Vanzo，Tibet.Art.Now，2011年，羅馬，頁32-33。
品相：狀況極好，有輕微磨損和鑄件不規則、小刻痕、輕微的表面劃痕、紅色顏料殘留和銅鏽結殼。

重量：1,166 克
尺寸：長36 厘米

普巴金剛鐝不用於戰鬥，具有壓制和消滅負能量、障礙、邪惡力量以及最終對自我所有形式的執著的力量。三棱刃，象徵著對欲、色、無色三界的掌握。

文獻比較：
比較一件相近十七世紀西藏三棱普巴金剛鐝，收藏於Rubin藝術博物館，編號 C2005.16.66。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，1999年9月17日，lot 103
價格：USD 20,700（相當於今日EUR 36,000）
描述：十七世紀西藏大型鎏金銅普巴金剛鐝
專家評論：比較相近的三頭忿怒護法神和摩訶羅。請注意材質和尺寸(45.8 厘米)。