Title
A pair of gilded copper deer
Year/Period
18th century
Region
Tibet
Object Type
Material
Dimension
Object size: Part 001: 36.5 x 14.4 x 32.0 cm,
Object size: Part 002: 37.7 x 13.8 x 31.5 cm
Object size: Part 002: 37.7 x 13.8 x 31.5 cm
Accession No.
2021-00001
Collection of
This pair of standing deer, one female and the other male with a single horn, were made in copper alloy repoussé and gilded. Deer sculptures like these would flank an eight-spoked Dharmachakra (wheel of Dharma) symbolising the teachings of the Buddha. In monasteries and temples in Tibet, Mongolia, Bhutan, and elsewhere in the Himalayas, such an ensemble is installed at the highest point of its roof, or on major gateways – the most famous example being the one on the Jokhang temple in Lhasa, Tibet.
