The handle of this bell is a five-pronged vajra, below which is a face. Coarse hairs or fibers are wrapped around the center of the handle. The bell has calligraphic inscriptions and ornamental leaves and patterns, with a repetitive series of vajras along the bottom.
Accession Number
C00.1603.029
Format
decorative arts; metalwork (visual works)
Culture
Tibetan (culture or style)
Genre
Religious art
Origin Information
Tibet
Date
No date
Physical Description
1 ritual object ; h. 6 in. (15.2 cm), Diam. bottom of bell: 3 1/4 in. (8.3 cm)
Note (Medium/support)
Bronze with traces of gilding and residual coarse hairs or fibers
Note (Ownership)
Gift of J. G. Phelps Stokes
Note
The vajra, or thunderbolt, once a weapon but modified for use as a ritual object, represents action and masculine energy in Buddhism. The bell represents wisdom and feminine energy. Combining masculine and feminine energies through the use of both obj ects is said to assist Vajrayana Buddhists in their search for salvation.