ENSEMBLE DE THOGCHAKS EN MÉTAL ET DE TALISMANS MONTÉS SUR BANNIÈRE EN TEXTILE TIBET, XE/XXE SIÈCLEENSEMBLE DE THOGCHAKS EN MÉTAL ET DE TALISMANS MONTÉS SUR BANNIÈRE EN TEXTILETIBET, XE/XXE SIÈCLE Including shell, tusks on cotton.Himalayan Art Resources item no. 205028 122 cm (48 in.) long, overallA COLLECTION OF METAL THOGCHAKS AND OTHER TALISMANS MOUNTED ON A CLOTH BANNER TIBET, 10TH/20TH CENTURY 西藏 十/二十世紀 金屬托查及法寶掛飾Hanging from the cloth banner are seven examples thogchaks and talisman including Khyung Ngonpo (Garuda), roundels, endless knots, Vajrapani, snow lions, wrathful deities, bodhisattva, and auspicious symbols.Thogchaks are found objects, treasured by Tibetans for their talismanic powers, always metal and usually of great age and wear. Originally they may have served as fastenings for chests or belts. Heller has written extensively on the subject, drawing on examples with similar motifs. See Reynolds (ed.), From the Sacred Realm, New York, 1999, pp. 60 & 79, pl. 35; and Heller, Early Himalayan Art, New Delhi, 2008, pp.112-3 & 130, nos. 34 & 43.The intended use of the banner or sash is not clear, but it is likely to have been worn to protect against evil spirits or hung by a door frame for the same purpose.Provenance:Art market, 1970s