India, Pala period, 9th century; copper alloy; 4 1/2 x 3 x 2 1/8 in.; long-term loan from the Nyingjei Lam Collection to The Rubin Museum of Art, New York, L2005.9.4.
23. Avalokiteshvara
Man’s Portable Amulet Shrine (Gau) with Case and the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara
Eastern Tibet, Kham region, ca. 1900; silver, parcel-gilt copper and copper, cloth and leather case, gilt copper alloy; 6 x 5 x 3 in.; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Francis Eric Bloy Bequest, AC1994.116.3.1-3, photo: Wikimedia Commons.
Many members of traditional Tibetan society are nomadic; they travel as herders and frequently undertake pilgrimage. This wearable miniature shrine serves a peripatetic lifestyle while also housing a protective amulet close to the body. It provides—like the sculpture on the left—a portable focus of worship.