Crowns of the Vajra Masters: Ritual Art of Nepal

Ritual Ewer with Makara Spout
Nepal, Bhaktapur, Dated by inscription to 1675
Brass
H. 12 in. (30.5 cm)

Zimmerman Family Collection, Promised Gift of the Zimmerman Family

An inscription engraved around the foot records that this ewer was donated in 1675, presumably to the royal shrine, by the king of Bhaktapur together with his younger brother, both devotees of Vishnu. King Jitamitra Malla (r. 1673–96) was renowned for his religious benefaction; his legacy includes the Pasupati and Narayana temples. The unnamed tutelary deity in whose honor this vessel was donated can be assumed to be Vishnu Narayana.

Inscription: Inscription (around the foot): Hail; on the sixth of the dark half of Phālguna, in the year 795 [February–March 1675], (this pot) was donated in honor of (their) tutelary deity by Śrī 2 Jaya Jitāmitramalla Deva and Śrī 2 Jaya Ugramalla Deva. May it be good.

Exhibition History
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Crowns of the Vajra Masters: Ritual Art of Nepal," December 16, 2017–December 16, 2018.