143. STUPA DU MAHAPARINIRVANA EN LAITON TIBET, VERS XIIIE SIÈCLE Inset with turquoise; Himalayan Art Resources item no. 205014 54.1 cm (21 1/4 in.) high A BRASS MAHAPARINIRVANA STUPA TIBET, CIRCA 13TH CENTURY 西藏 約十三世紀 銅嵌寶大涅槃塔 The stupa is the earliest form of the Buddha image, initially constructed to commemorate the major events in the historical life of the Buddha Shakyamuni. The Indian Buddhist tradition of stupa construction developed into a widespread practice of relic worship, which eventually resulted in the creation of portable objects. During the 3rd century BCE, the emperor Ashoka of the Maurya dynasty divided up the Buddha's relics and built 84,000 stupas throughout India in an acknowledgement of the Buddha's omnipresence. This stupa is closely associated with the earliest form known as the Kadampa style. The bell-shaped design and wide leaf lotus petals make reference to northeast Indian models from the Pala period. However, the shape of the parasol, which has been surmounted by a pendant finial and inset with turquoise, is a unique Tibetan adaptation. A close example of this style is illustrated in Henss, Buddhist Ritual Art of Tibet, Stuttgart, 2020, no. 57. Published: Ramon Prats, et.al., Monasterios y lamas del Tibet, Madrid, Fundación "La Caixa", 2000, p. 123, no. 71. Exhibited: Monasterios y lamas del Tibet, Fundación "La Caixa", Madrid, November 2000-January 2001. Provenance: Spink & Son Ltd., London, 1990s