Tibetan Cloisonné Butter Lamp.

Beautiful cloisonné bowl for Tibetan altar furniture. Generally used as burners or oil lamps, these bowls are placed on either side of Buddha and provide a soft and warm light conducive to meditation.

Light also symbolizes knowledge and elevation in Buddhist rites. The bowls can be used with oil as lamps but also for offering drinking water. It is also possible to fill the bowls with sand to use them as incense burners.

These bowls, made of solid copper, represent the pinnacle of Tibetan craftsmanship. Cloisonné is an ancient enamel-making technique that separates different enamel colors with copper partitions.

The Art of Tibetan Cloisonné.

It is a long process requiring many manufacturing steps. First, the Tibetan artisan must hammer the copper to shape the cloisonné.

Next comes the second step: soldering a copper wire to delimit the various colors and designs. This is true goldsmith work requiring genuine artistic skills.

Then come filling and firing. The spaces previously created and delimited by the copper partitions are filled with colored enamels. Firing is done several times and filling is repeated until the gaps are completely filled.

Finally, polishing and retouching complete the cloisonné’s final appearance.

Note on Tibetan Butter Lamps:

• Buddhist worship object.
• Cloisonné material: copper and enamels.
• Weight: approximately 60 g.
• Sold individually.

Each bowl is handmade and therefore unique. Please note that slight differences from the photos may occur.