Tibetan Inkwell

Copper & Silver Ink Pot & Cover

This ink bottle made from copper sheet with chased silver mounts is a variant on the more typical Tibetan form of such vessels. This example has an inverted bell-shape. The body flares at the foot and again mid-way.

The rim of the cover and the top rim of the bottle are encased in chased silver bands chased with a repeated flower motif within thick pearled silver wire borders.

The rim of the foot is decorated with a narrow grooved silver band.

The inside of the cover is fitted with a wooden dowel which plugs into the base of the vessel. Such a structure means that even when such bottles are upside down, the ink will not escape. The interior shows ink residue.

An ink bottle of gold and silver with more typical form is illustrated in: Shanghai Museum, Treasures from Snow Mountains: Gems of Tibetan Cultural Relics, Shanghai Museum, 2001, page 210.