This vintage Nepalese phurba is a real masterpiece. It is handcarved from a piece of antler by an artisan craftsman in Kathmandu. The slight natural curve of the antler piece gives it an extra dimension and makes it very nice to hold. Just look at the attention that has been paid to all the tiniest details. This is truly a work of art.
This phurba is from vintage origin. Therefore it might have some little damages and imperfections that come with age and previous usage, but overall it is in very good condition.
Design characteristics:
Pommel: a three-faced Vajrakilaya with a skull-crown, all facial expressions are wrathful. Handle; a human skull. Blade: intertwined naga's crawling upwards at the backside and going down again at both sides. The blade is held by an intricate carving of the mythical watermonster Makara.
Size; approximately 12 centimeters long. Weight; approximately 41 grams.
Read more about the design symbolism and usage of the phurba in the general description of the webshop-collection "Ritual Attributes; Phurba's".
Please know; the art of real, artisan bonecarving by hand is a dying craft in Himalayan area's, because of, among other reasons, unfair competition from machine-made, a dime-a-dozen, mass production in other Asian regions. Therefore real pieces such as these ones are getting increasingly more rare and expensive.
