Tibetan CHOISUM - Canopied Altar with Shelf

Dragons in gold on red, and a dark, open space kept ready above them.

This choisum, a canopied altar with shelf, comes from Tibet and dates to the 19th century. It is painted Himalayan pine. Tibetan Buddhist households and monasteries traditionally set aside a place of honor for images and offerings. A scalloped arch frames the upper niche, with a single shelf inside. Below, two dragons confront each other across a red panel of gold cloud scrolls, and scrolling gold covers the frame. It stands on four square legs, 54.25 inches high.

An altar of this kind invites a certain care in what goes on it.