A Tibetan Butter Lamp Shrine Stand Table

hand built with pieces of natural and hand carved wood, ground mineral pigments, wood and metal, hand painted, top shelf with Buddhist jewels, shelf below is decorated with the Wheel of Dharma, the following shelf below features two ornate offering bowls in tiered stands, the final shelf below is filled with Buddhist jewel symbols, a carved decorative scalloped shaped plaque crowns the shrine painted with a pair of phoenixes and Buddhist treasure symbols, the lower two ledges of such stands are typically used for butter lamps and other offerings, while the upper ledge might accommodate small sculptures, this shrine stand would have been made for a Buddhist temple.
50 1/2 x 39 x 16 in.
For a similar stand see Rubin Museum of Art, C2011.14a-c
Private Collection
Additional high-resolution photos are available at www.lelandlittle.com

Overall good estate condition; stress cracks to wood and paint; deep scratches to upper shelf from use; some losses to wood on reverse at top curve; knots and natural carving to wood used to build the shrine have natural imperfections.