Lot 369 , A Tibetan bronze and brass repousse work water sprinkler, 19th century, H. 21cm

A Tibetan bronze and brass repousse work water sprinkler, 19th century, the body bearing six sanskrit characters, H. 21cm
Estimate £150-200

Provenance - The Pestalozzi International Foundation collection of Tibetan thangkas, Buddhist figures and ritual objects.

In 1947, the British Pestalozzi Children's Village association was founded by Dr Henry Alexander - a German, Jewish, refugee who moved to the UK before the Second World War - and Mrs Mary Buchanan - a British sociologist. In 1959 the organisation opened a 170 acre property in Sedlescombe, East Sussex to house and educate children from displaced persons camps in Europe at the end of World War II.
In 1963, twenty-two Tibetan students, along with their house parents, arrived at the village. In 1967/68 saw the last of the European students at Pestalozzi and from that point students from Tibet, India and Nepal - amongst other countries - began to arrive. The Tibetan children and their house parents rescued Buddhist thangkas (paintings) and relics from the local temples during the upheavals of the 1960s which are included in this sale. The collection also includes Buddhist figures of deities from China, Burma and Thailand. The funds raised will help Pestalozzi to continue to offer educational scholarships to children from under-privileged countries.

This could alternatively be a small teapot rather than a rosewater sprinkler, there is some occasional small dents and scuffs and the neck is slightly tilted to one side where it has been pushed down into the body very slightly, again this could be fairly easily rectified, the brass and the copper have patinated to a nice colour and there is evidence of gilding on the bronze parts of the body.


Descriptions provided in both printed and on-line catalogue formats do not include condition reports. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging. Interested bidders are strongly encouraged to request a condition report on any lots upon which they intend to bid, prior to placing a bid. All transactions are governed by Gorringes Conditions of Sale.

Sold for £120