GAU WITH TSATSA BY PADMASAMBHAVA
MONGOLIA, 19TH/EARLY 20TH CENTURY
Himalayan Art Resources item no. 205463
Gaus are sacred receptacles serving many purposes in Tibetan daily life, including as a sign of social status and rank. They are most commonly constructed from metal repoussé and made according to three different sizes. The smallest typically contain precious materials and consecrated objects and are worn around the neck. Medium-sized gaus also act as portable containers, large enough to carry cloth, string, medicine, miniature sculptures, small tsatsas, or anything else deemed sacred and auspicious. Oftentimes a viewing window is inserted into a hinged frame, while the frame itself is decorated with the Eight Buddhist Emblems and other auspicious motifs. They are frequently carried by travelling merchants, lay people, Buddhist pilgrims, and their pack animals. Large gaus are generally not considered portable and are placed within a home, place of business, or temple. They most often house one or more tsatsas, paintings, or sculptures of Buddhist deities.
Regardless of their size, gaus promote good health, prosperity, fruitful business, and safety. As Rhie and Thurman explain, "the least educated among [Tibetans] was still perfectly aware that the image or object in the gau was not the deity or historical figure they were remembering. But it served as a site where the wisdom emanation of that enlightened being could be invoked and communicated with." (A Shrine for Tibet, New York, 2009, p. 255.)
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
titsay
amandla
