antique bronze statues and gilt bronzes chinese and Indian sculptures antique chinese porcelain examples Welcome   Our Collections Bronzes and Metalwork Exhibitions Early Ceramics Contact Enamels Furniture   Himalayan   Indian   Ivory and Raino Horn   Lacqoer   Porcelain   Sculpture   Southeast Asian   Works of Art A ceremonial Lama's skirt carved with beads and plaques in human bone, mainly 14th/15th century with some later replacements, Tibet. The bone skirt would have been attached to a textile skirt and worn with a matching vest and hat. The bone ornaments fall in a diamond pattern from the belt, the latter consisting of five main sections - three carved dakinis flanked by a pair of dancing skeletons. These are all linked by beads to four smaller dividing groups of three plaques with figurative and floral decoration. The bone skirt consists of diamond shaped plaques carved with animals, Buddhist emblems, scrolling leaves and flower heads - in four rows of five plaques linked by beads - the bottom row with mask heads from which bells dangle. Dimensions as mounted: 84 cm x 84 cm Similar example: 'Tibet: Tradition and Change', Pratapaditya Pal, The Albuquerque Museum, 1997 - plate 85.