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Votive Sculpture (tsha-tsha)

ClassificationsSculpture

Date19th to early 20th Century

Made AtTibet Autonomous Region, China, Asia

MediumClay and pigment

Dimensions3 1/8 × 1 1/2 × 3/4 in. (7.9 × 3.8 × 1.9 cm)

Credit LineGift of Anne and Long Shung Shih

Object number2021.8.47

DescriptionThis is a tsha-tsha, a small devotional sculpture from Tibet which is made from clay using a mold. Given the ease of creating these pieces, 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 such as this are reserved for personal shrines and travel, in all cases these sculptures serve as wards against evil. 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 then trimming their edges slightly, and finally painting them. For artists, creating these is seen as a merit-accumulating action. This object probably would have been inserted into a gau amulet box. Tsha-tsha can depict a wide variety of Buddhas and deities, and this is probably a depiction of Avalokiteśvara.

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