A VERY RARE GILT-BRONZE SARIRA RELIQUARY

The four-sided gilt-bronze reliquary, engraved with a motif of a seated Buddha on a openwork background of scrolling vines, is set on a five-layered lotus blossom and raised on a short foot with a wider lotus blossom base. From beneath the corners of the reliquary, lotus stems grow, finished with small flowers in which four guardian figures are set. Two of them hold spears. Smaller lotus blossoms can also be found on the gently cambered lid. Sarira reliquaries come originally from India and were intended to store the remains of Buddha and enlightened masters. A very similar example, from the temple complex in Namwon, can be found in the Seoul National Museum.