Conch trumpet, in an embossed silver mount, inlaid with lapis lazuli, turquoise and coral

Description

Conch trumpet
Tibet
19th–20th century
Conch shell, silver, vermeil, lapis lazuli, and coral
Gift of Donald J. Fredman, 1982/2.42A

In Tibet, the conch trumpet’s piercing sound is used to summon
monks to prayer. Conchs are also blown during offering rituals
to wrathful deities as part of the somewhat cacophonous music
believed to please them. The shells are highly prized in landlocked
Tibet and are often elaborately ornamented with silver, gilding, and
semiprecious stones. Some Tibetan conch trumpets, like this one,
have at their core a very old conch shell that may have been used in
an Indian monastery; this one dates to the ninth to twelfth century.
The back of the shell still shows the carved outlines of a lotus that
surrounded a deity, although the image of the deity itself has been
rubbed off after long use.

The trumpet’s large metal flange is divided into three areas. In the
center is a vertical row of seven symbols frequently associated with the
Buddha (top to bottom): a queen, a general, a minister, an elephant, a
jewel (on top of the elephant), a horse (which resembles a deer, another
Buddhist symbol), and an eight-spoked wheel (on top of the horse)
that represents the teachings of the Buddha, the eightfold path. The
queen, general, and minister are said to represent love, power, and
wisdom, while the wheel and the jewel symbolize spiritual and worldly
majesty. The elephant and the horse are the Buddha’s vehicles and
symbolize inexhaustible strength and speed. Representing the seven
precious possessions of a universal ruler, these communicate that the
Buddha was regarded as a chakravartin (universal ruler).

Summer 2024 Gallery Rotation
____________________
Conch trumpet
Tibet
19th–20th Century
Conch shell, silver, vermeil, lapis lazuli, and coral
Gift of Donald J. Fredman, 1982/2.42A

Monk-Scholar
Tibet
19th–20th Century
Woodblock print on paper
Gift of Donald J. Fredman, 1982/2.42B

In Tibet, the conch trumpet’s piercing sound is used to summon
monks to prayer. Conchs are also blown during offering rituals
to wrathful deities as part of the somewhat cacophonous music
believed to please them. The shells are highly prized in landlocked
Tibet and are often elaborately ornamented with silver, gilding, and
semiprecious stones. Some Tibetan conch trumpets, like this one,
have at their core a very old conch shell that may have been used in
an Indian monastery; this one dates to the ninth to twelfth century.
The back of the shell still shows the carved outlines of a lotus that
surrounded a deity, although the image of the deity itself has been
rubbed off after centuries of use. The print displayed nearby was once
inside the trumpet. It represents a Tibetan monk and scholar, seated
on a throne-like dais, with a female attendant.

The trumpet’s large metal flange is divided into three areas. In the
center is a vertical row of seven symbols frequently associated with the
Buddha (top to bottom): a queen, a general, a minister, an elephant, a
jewel (on top of the elephant), a horse (which resembles a deer, another
Buddhist symbol), and an eight-spoked wheel (on top of the horse)
that represents the teachings of the Buddha, the eightfold path. The
queen, general, and minister are said to represent love, power, and
wisdom, while the wheel and the jewel symbolize spiritual and worldly
majesty. The elephant and the horse are the Buddha’s vehicles and
symbolize inexhaustible strength and speed. Representing the seven
precious possessions of a universal ruler, these symbols communicate
that the Buddha was regarded as a chakravartin (universal ruler).

Winter 2024 Gallery Rotation
____________________
Gallery Rotation Fall 2013
Conch trumpet
Tibet
19th–20th century
Conch shell, silver, vermeil, turquoise, lapis lazuli, and coral
Gift of Donald J. Fredman, 1982/2.42A
The conch trumpet’s piercing sound is used to summon monks to prayers in Tibet. Conchs are also blown during offering rituals to wrathful deities as part of the somewhat cacophonous music believed to please them. Conch shells are highly prized in landlocked Tibet and are often elaborately ornamented with silver, gilding, and semiprecious stones. Some Tibetan conch trumpets, such as this one, have at their core a very old conch shell that may have been used in an Indian monastery; this one dates to the ninth to twelfth century. The back of the shell still shows the carved outlines of a lotus that surrounded a deity, although the image of the deity itself has been rubbed off after centuries of use.
On the large metal flange are three separate areas delineated by metal beading. The center area contains a vertical row of symbols frequently associated with the Buddha, representing the seven precious possessions of a universal ruler. Their inclusion communicates that the Buddha was regarded as a universal ruler or chakravartin. The seven symbols are, from top to bottom: queen, general, minister, elephant, jewel (on top of the elephant), horse (which resembles a deer, another Buddhist symbol), and an eight-spoked wheel (on top of the horse) that represents the teachings of the Buddha, the eightfold path. The queen, general, and minister are said to represent love, power, and wisdom, while the wheel and the jewel symbolize spiritual and worldly majesty. The elephant and the horse are the Buddha’s vehicles and symbolize inexhaustible strength and speed.