Saddle from the Surkhang Family

Unknown

ca. 1930s · Silver, gilt brass, copper, wood, leather, textile (silk) · Arms and Armor

Completely traditional in its form, this luxurious saddle was made in Derge in the 1930s for the Tibetan government official Surkhang Wangchen Tseten, while he was serving as governor of eastern Tibet. Later the saddle was owned and used on many ceremonial occasions by his son, Surkhang Wangchen Gelek (1910-1977), who became a senior cabinet minister and close advisor to the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. The pommel, cantle, and end-boards are entirely covered with delicately pierced scrollwork cast in silver and set on a ground of bright red copper foil. Each section is surrounded by gilt brass borders decorated with auspicious symbols. The accompanying stirrups (2005.427.2a, b), although relatively simple in their design, are solid cast in nearly pure silver.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1930s

Medium

Silver, gilt brass, copper, wood, leather, textile (silk)

Culture

Eastern Tibetan

Department

Arms and Armor

Credit line

Purchase, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Gift, 2005