About this lot

Description

Two Kangling human femur bone flutes, Northern Nepal, probably 17th/18th century,

one with brass decoration, 35cm and 28.5cm



Provenance:
Acquired in the late 1980s



Footnote:

Literally translated as “leg” (kang) “flute” (ling), a Kangling is a Tibetan trumpet fashioned from human bone, usually the femur or tibia. Most frequently used by Shamen and Bompo Lamas during the Tibetan ritual of Chöd, or ‘Cutting Through the Ego’, the Kangling must only be performed outdoors and is used to summon hungry spirits who are invited to feast on the envisaged corpse of the practitioner and thereby relieve their suffering.



Condition report:

Superb patination achieved over a long period, metalwork slightly degraded over time

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