Crowns of the Vajra Masters: Ritual Art of Nepal

Fire-Offering Ladle
Eastern Tibet, Derge, for Chinese market
Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Yongle period (1403–24)
Iron inlaid with gold and silver
Overall: L. 31 1/4 in. (79.4 cm); H. 1 1/4 in. (3.2 cm); D. 4 1/4 in. (10.8 cm)
Overall (ladle bowl): H. 1 1/4 in. (3.2 cm); W. 9 in. (22.9 cm); D. 4 1/4 in. (10.8 cm)

Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 1993
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1993.477.1.1a, b

This ladle was used to make offerings of fuel during Homa ceremonies honoring Agni, the god of fire, here invoked in the service of Vajrayana Buddhism. The Vajracharya priest in the photograph above is holding such a ladle as he performs efficacious invocations. In his other hand, he holds the bell (ghanta), symbolizing method, while the companion vajra, denoting wisdom, rests on the dharma dhatu mandala altar set into the pavement.

Inscription: Inscription is on the first step, near the handle: Da Ming Yongle nian shi (bestowed in the Yongle era of the great Ming)

Provenance
[Donald J. Wineman , New York, by 1988, sold to the Irvings] ; Florence and Herbert Irving , New York (1988 until 1993; donated to MMA)

Exhibition History
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Defining Yongle, Imperial Art in Early Fifteenth-Century China," April 1, 2005–July 10, 2005.

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Rugs and Ritual in Tibetan Buddhism," October 7, 2010–June 26, 2011.

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Art of the Himalayas," December 15, 2010–December 4, 2011.

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Art of the Himalayas," December 3, 2011–December 9, 2012.

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