124. TÊTE DE TRIDENT (TRISHULA) RITUEL EN ARGENT ET ACIER PARTIELLEMENT DORÉ ET INCRUSTÉ D'ARGENT TIBET ORIENTAL, XVIIE/XVIIIE SIÈCLE Himalayan Art Resources item no. 205004 50 cm (19 3/4 in.) high A SILVER AND PARCEL-GILT AND SILVER-INLAID STEEL RITUAL TRIDENT HEAD (TRISHULA) EASTERN TIBET, 17TH/18TH CENTURY 藏東 十七/十八世紀 銀及局部鎏金鋼錯銀三叉戟 The trishula has early origins related to concepts of trinity within the Vedic traditions and was the quintessential implement held by the god Shiva. In tantric Buddhism, it became linked as the magical weapon of Padmasambhava, illustrated in the crook of his left arm as a trident topped staff in his most iconic form as Guru Rinpoche. Trishula such as the one presented here, were first manufactured in the Tibetan style court ateliers of the early Ming emperors in China, and have a distinct style which includes gold overlay and inlay. Compare to a five-pointed fire flaming trishula which is partially gilt with golden overlays and a skull connecting the handle and prongs illustrated in Henss, Buddhist Ritual Art of Tibet, 2020, fig. 220. Similar examples can also be found in the Musee Guimet, Paris, (MA 5918), Sotheby's, New York, 22 March 1989, lot 252 and Christie's, Paris, 13 June 2013, lot 54. Published: Francois Pannier, La Danse Des Morts: Citipati De l'Himalaya, Danse Macabres et Vanites De l'Occident, Paris, 2004, p. 68, no. 36. Exhibited: La Danse Des Morts: Citipati De l'Himalaya, Danse Macabres et Vanites De l'Occident, Galerie le Toit du Monde, Paris, 15 September – 30 October 2004. Remember That You Will Die, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 19 March - 9 August, 2010. Provenance: Spink & Son Ltd., London, 1990s