Finely worked to depict the eleven headed Avalokiteshvara standing in samabhanga on a lotus pedestal with his principal hands clasped together in anjali mudra, his other arms radiating and holding his attributes the lotus blossom, bow and arrow, water pot, dharma wheel, and mala beads, with the lowest held in varada mudra. Wearing a billowing shawl and loose-fitting robes secured at the waist by a sash, richly adorned with fine jewelry. The main face flanked by pendulous lobes suspending earrings inlaid with turquoise. Each side with two rectangular cord loops for suspension.

Provenance: From a German private collection of Himalayan art.
Condition: Very good condition with expected old wear, manufacturing flaws, small nicks, minuscule dents, and expected losses and wear to the contents within.

Weight: 581 g (incl. contents)
Dimensions: Size 16.4 x 10 x 3.6 cm

The sacred contents of the reliquary comprise:

1. Several leaves of Buddhist scriptures.
2. A yellow silk cloth embroidered with lotus blossoms.
3. Two pages of Tibetan text and two miniatures depicting a sacred bowl and deities.
4. A clay icon.
5. Two coins and three coin fragments.
6. Two shards of organic material with a stone and metal bead.
7. Four beads.
8. Four fragments of coral. (Please note that we cannot send these outside of the European Union)

One prominent Buddhist story tells of Avalokiteshvara vowing never to rest until he had freed all sentient beings from samsara. Despite strenuous effort, he realizes that many unhappy beings were yet to be saved. After struggling to comprehend the needs of so many, his head splits into eleven pieces. Amitabha, seeing his plight, gives him eleven heads with which to hear the cries of the suffering. Upon hearing these cries and comprehending them, Avalokiteshvara tries to reach out to all those who needed aid but found that his two arms were shattered into pieces. Once more, Amitabha comes to his aid and invests him with a thousand arms with which to aid the suffering multitudes.

Gau comprise a class of objects from reliquary boxes to amulets. The Tibetans make a distinction between rten (amulets) and Gau (reliquary boxes), based on the kind of contents placed in each container. A rten usually contains a rolled paper of invocation while a Gau contains depictions of Buddhist deities in the form of a metal image or a stamped clay plaque provided by a lama.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 2 October 2018, lot 74
Estimate: HKD 1,000,000 or approx. EUR 130,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A parcel-gilt silver gau with Mahottara Heruka containing an ivory figure of Shadbhuja Mahakala
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, repoussé work, and parcel-gilding, with similar lotus base. Note the different size (8 cm) and that this figure also contains an ivory figure dated to the same period.