FOREARM GUARD
Full Description:
This rare item is part of a small, privileged group of closely related arm defences from Tibet, all examples of which appear to have been made for the left arm exclusively – suggesting that these were never made in pairs. Two basic types of forearm guards are known: one with applied iron struts (reminiscent of Tibetan shields and furniture, often with ornamental piercings); and the other, such as the present example, with no fittings, but with the lacquered leather surface entirely covered with varnished or gilded decoration[1].
Like other arm guards of this type, the outer surface of this piece retains much of its original decoration, consisting of glazed orange and red shellac (tree resin) and fine lines painted in a black pigment. It is very similar to the decorations seen on Tibetan bow cases, quivers, and horse armour,[2] though the level of detail in this piece is especially arresting.
The whole surface is thoroughly decorated, the design arranged in three separate sections (from top to bottom). The upper, lobed section depicts scrolling patterns of heavy clouds, rolling ominously in the sky. This is followed by twin lines of squared spirals, evoking a roof, or perhaps a gate to the heavens. The last section, which constitutes the main artistic display of the piece, is a skilfully intricate drawing of what appears to be a druk (in Standard Tibetan ‘འབག’, dzongkha)– the mighty Thunder-Dragon of Tibetan and Bhutanese mythology. It symbolises profound enlightenment and is typically connected to storms and the divine moving and shaking of the landscape (thunder being the ‘cloud-voice’, or formidable roar of the creature). Upon closer inspection, one can see a glimpse of the mythological beast’s scales, coiling within and without the golden surface of the armguard: as in the legends that birthed it, the druk’s full form eludes us still, but has certainly lost none of its evocative power.
Similar pieces to this one can be seen in the Metropolitan Museum, New York[3].
Provenance
American art market
[1] See Donald LaRocca, Warriors of the Himalayas: Rediscovering the Arms and Armor of Tibet, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2006. See also Laurence Austine Waddell, The Buddhism of Tibet or Lamaism, 1895.