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Ritual chopper (vajra-katari)
Tibeto-Chinese
Ming dynasty
late 14th century
Object Place: China, for a Tibetan Buddhist temple
Medium/Technique
Iron overlaid with gold and silver designs
Dimensions
23.2 cm (9 1/8 in.)
Credit Line
Charles Bain Hoyt Fund
Accession Number1987.256
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAsia
ClassificationsRitual objects
DescriptionRitual chopper with wide, flaring and curling blade inlaid with a Buddhist mantra in Tibetan Sanskrit. Handle is in the form of a five-pronged vajra (thunderbolt), with the head of a gaping animal serving as the transition between handle and blade.
Provenance1987, Donald J. Wineman, New York; sold by Donald Wineman to the MFA. (Accession Date: May 27, 1987)