Tibetan Leather Chest

A spectacular piece from the high plateaus of Tibet - a gaam or storage chest. In remarkable condition, this trunk is of leather stretched on a pine base, inset with panels of tiger skin with iron closure and fittings. intact Tibetan furniture, authentic and old, is a rarity. Kept mostly by the monasteries and wealthier households (the average Tibetan conducting their lives largely furniture-less, many nomadically) and existing only from the 15th century, of the few pieces that existed, many disappeared in the destruction of monasteries begun in 1959. Gaams (chests) - were used to store thankas, costumes and special things kept for un-ordinary times.

Overall Dimensions