18th c tibetan buddhist "kapala" "Kapala" is a Sanskrit word meaning "skull". In Tibetan Buddhist monasteries "Kapalas' were used as bowls to hold dough cakes and wine representing blood and flesh as offerings to wrathful deities such as Dharmapala, the Defender of the Faith. And in esoteric rituals by tantrikas as an aide in achieving transcendental states. Traditionally, Kapalas were fashioned from human skulls gathered from charnel grounds. Thus, the shape of the piece here shown. Occasionally, though, Kapalas were created from other materials as in this example in brass. It is particularly rare because of its diminutive size...probably commissioned by a lama who traveled extensively and who could access it easily, along with his "Gau", while journeying between monasteries. Acquired in a journey north of Leh, in Ladakh, n India late last century. SOLD