Now THIS is a special find! Dating to approximately the late 19th / early 20th century, c.1880–1910, this wonderful antique Tibetan Ga’u (Gau) portable prayer box / reliquary shrine is beautifully handcrafted from silver and copper.

RARE FIND ! SACRED TIBET | ANTIQUE GA’U TRAVELLING SHRINE 

Now THIS is a special find! Dating to approximately the late 19th / early 20th century, c.1880–1910, this wonderful antique Tibetan Ga’u (Gau) portable prayer box / reliquary shrine is beautifully handcrafted from silver and copper.

The ornate repoussé silver façade is absolutely packed with traditional Buddhist imagery, with mythical creatures, elephants, scrolling motifs and auspicious symbols surrounding a tiny arched window containing a wonderfully timeworn painted sacred figure. The plain hand-worked copper back contrasts beautifully with the elaborate silver front, while the original side fittings allowed the shrine to be carried or worn on the body.

Best of all, opening the copper back reveals a remarkable quantity of old dried botanical material — herbs, twigs and aromatic/medicinal material apparently preserved within the shrine as devotional or consecrated contents. These have deliberately been left completely untouched.

THE GA’U
These miniature shrines were carried close to the body, particularly during journeys and pilgrimages, and could contain sacred images, mantras, relics and other consecrated substances intended to offer spiritual protection. Fascinatingly, the British Museum holds antique Tibetan ga’us complete with their original sacred contents, including a 19th-century silver and copper example, while another museum example actually retains medicinal material and twigs inside.

LACMA also holds circa-1900 Eastern Tibetan examples crafted in silver and copper, describing them as portable reliquary shrines worn for protection while travelling and on pilgrimage.

COLLECTOR VALUE
Comparable antique Ga’us vary enormously according to age, size, workmanship and surviving contents. Recent auction results include a 19th-century silver and copper example selling for €1,300 ( R24 000), while another 19th-century example sold for €2,080 ( R38 700 )

Measurements :The shrine measures 8.7 cm x 8.6 cm x 3.5cm and weight of 157 grams .