Teacup Lid
ClassificationsFurnishings-Serviceware-lids
Date19th Century
Made AtTibet Autonomous Region, China, Asia
MediumSilver
Dimensions3 1/4 × 4 1/2 in. (8.3 × 11.4 cm)
Credit LineGift of Anne and Long Shung Shih
Object number2021.8.18
DescriptionNormally paired with a matching footed cup stand and ceramic teacup, this item is a lid placed atop a cup of tea. Based on traditional Chinese tea sets, the lid may have covered green or black tea or even Tibetan yak butter tea and the decorative holes in the sides were likely made to allow for the release of steam from within. The preparation, drinking, and offering of tea is woven into many rituals and ceremonies of Tibetan Esoteric Buddhism. It is in the shape of a chorten, which is the Tibetan word for stupa, a common architectural form throughout Asia. It is speculated that the form of the stupa was based on ancient Indian domed burial mounds and was eventually appropriated into Buddhism as a structure that served as a repository for Buddhist relics. A more modern interpretation claims that the shape represents the enlightened body of the crowned Buddha seated on a throne.
The circumambulation of stupas is a common devotional practice in many forms of Buddhism, and as such, most of them are surrounded by pathways to walk around, as is represented by the flat outer rim of this lid. Giving offerings and circumambulation are both practices meant to invoke contemplation, devotion, and acts of tribute, which may explain the combination of both in this object.
On View
Not on viewCollections
960-1279 CE
19th to 20th Century
17th to 19th Century
17th to 19th Century
mid to late 19th Century
mid to late 19th Century
19th to 20th Century
19th to 20th Century
19th to 20th Century
1644-1911
mid-late 20th Century