Tibetan
monastic boxes or chests were originally used in the store rooms of monasteries
to hold the brocades, hangings, ornaments, Cham costumes, masks
and other precious objects that were not used every day. These chests
were often offered to the monastery by a sponsor, so each donor would
try to use the best materials and the best artists of the time to make the box a worthy offering. They were also commissioned by the monastic
authorities themselves, and would have been painted by the thankha painters of that monastery. Often large amounts of gold and the best mineral
colours were used in the execution, hence some of the best examples of
Tibetan furniture decoration are found on these boxes. Dragons, lotus
flowers and flaming jewels are amongst the most popular motifs on the
boxes. These are an example of some of the authentic, old Tibetan boxes in stock.
Central cartouche with bowl holding flaming jewels