Nepalese Gao or Prayer Box Depicting Vajrasattva

Calm face, small bell at the hip, and a halo of flames around the edges.

This gao or prayer box depicting Vajrasattva is from Nepal and is contemporary, in silver and copper. Small gao shrines are generally carried or worn in the Himalayas, and Vajrasattva is commonly associated in Tibetan Buddhism with purification. The figure sits cross-legged on a lotus throne in raised relief, crowned and jeweled, one hand lifted at the chest and the other resting near the hip. Curling flame shapes rise on both sides. The round frame has a heavy rolled rim and side loops for a cord. It is 1.5 inches in diameter and 0.75 deep.

Serenity, cast at a very portable scale.