Tibetan Architectural Relief Depicting Mudra or Ritual Hand Gesture, Framed

A single gilded hand-fan, or so it first appears.

This architectural relief from Tibet is made of brass and is dated in the record to the 19th century. It depicts a mudra, or ritual hand gesture, a visual vocabulary common in Buddhist art. Here the brass piece is shaped like a half fan, with ridged and embossed lines radiating from a small base. The metal is a warm gold with darker recesses. It is mounted on black fabric in a silvery, rope-edged frame.

About 13 inches by 16, framed. Understated, intriguing, and a little hard to categorize.