Unique Set of 2 Antique Tibetan Shaman Phurba in Deer Horn

Weight: 135 & 76 grams.  Length: 28.5 cm & 19.5 cm

These two antique Tibetan shaman phurba are the finest and rarest I have encountered in over 30 years of collecting.  They have been exquisitely carved out of red deer horn and are believed to be 18th century or earlier.  In addition to being a shaman’s powerful energetic tools of protection and transformation they are also incredible works of art.

They are clearly a pair, or perhaps part of a larger set, and meticulously and skilfully hand carved, probably by a shaman for their own use.   Both phurba feature the large head of a wrathful deity and share many symbolic motifs in common, but with some differences too.

The larger of the two measures 28.5 cm, weighs 135 grams, and features a wrathful deity with a conch shell at the back of the head and crown of skulls mounted with a Naga.   The dorje hilt is decorated with an endless knot, lucky symbols, and a band of human skulls, below which is a fabulous sea monster Makara with nagas, leading to a blade with entwined snakes.

The smaller phurba measures 19.5 cm, weighs 76 grams, and features the same wrathful deity and conch shell head with a skull crown, but also a carved dorje, with a horse head atop.  The hilt features a band of skulls leading to another fabulous sea monster Makara with snakes, and a blade ornately carved with symbols that I can’t quite determine but might include a prayer wheel or umbrella.

A unique pair of wonderfully carved and collectable antique Tibetan phurba of the highest quality, the best I have seen in over 30 years of collecting sacred and ritual artifacts.