Mold for a Stupa-Shaped Tsha-Tsha, 19th to early 20th Century
Tibet Autonomous Region
Brass; …

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Mold for a Stupa-Shaped Tsha-Tsha

ClassificationsTools and Equipment-molds

Date19th to early 20th Century

Made AtTibet Autonomous Region, China, Asia

MediumBrass

Dimensions4 1/4 × 3 1/2 × 3 1/2 in. (10.8 × 8.9 × 8.9 cm)

Credit LineGift of Anne and Long Shung Shih

Object number2021.8.46

DescriptionThis object is a brass mold used to make a clay votive sculpture called a tsha-tsha. Tsha-tsha come in various sizes and can depict a wide variety of Buddhas and deities, as well as buildings like pagodas or, as is the case with this object, a stupa. Given the ease of creating tsha-tsha sculptures, they are prevalent in Tibet and would be owned by most individuals there. A larger sculpture might decorate a monastery or a personal shrine, but smaller tsha-tsha are reserved for personal shrines and travel, and in all cases these sculptures serve as wards against evil. A small sculpture like the one produced by this mold probably would have been inserted into a gau amulet box and worn around the neck. They are made by carving a mold from wood or stone, creating a clay from loess, plant fiber, and water, pressing the clay into the mold, leaving them to dry, trimming their edges slightly, and finally painting them. For artists, creating these is seen as a merit-accumulating action.

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