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Chorten

Chorten

  • Place of origin:

    Tibet (made)

  • Date:

    13th century or later (made)

  • Artist/Maker:

    Unknown (production)

  • Materials and Techniques:

    Brass

  • Museum number:

    IM.71-1929

  • Gallery location:

    Buddhist Sculpture, room 19, case 4

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This stupa or 'chorten' is made in cast brass. 'Chorte'n came to symbolise the Buddha himself in Tibet in much the same way that the cross signifies Christ in the west. The stupa had evolved in early Indian Buddhism out of the shape of ancient Indian burial mounds but continued as reliquaries in Tibet, where they frequently contained fragments of bone and other bodily relics from revered religious figures.

Physical description

Stupa or chorten in cast brass.

Place of Origin

Tibet (made)

Date

13th century or later (made)

Artist/maker

Unknown (production)

Materials and Techniques

Brass

Dimensions

Height: 25 cm, Width: 15 cm

Historical context note

A chorten is theTibetan form of the Indian Buddhist monument, the stupa. Originally erected to preserve relics and to commemorate the Buddha's death, they came to symbolize his enlightenment and thus became a central symbol of the Buddhist religion itself. Model chortens are used both as reliquaries and as votive offerings on temple altars. The contents of a similar chorten were radio-carbon dated to c.1230.

Descriptive line

Chorten, brass, Tibet, 13th century or later.

Materials

Brass

Techniques

Cast

Subjects depicted

Buddhist

Categories

Metalwork; Religion; Buddhism

Collection code

SSEA

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Qr_O24867
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