Right turning Sanka with old stamp
Very RARE Antique Right Spiral Tibetan Silver Conch Buddhist 9" w Bon Stamp Shell of a Sacred Chank or Divine Conch (Turbinella pyrum) decorated with silver and semiprecious stones, from Tibet. Length: 9" Width: 5" Weight: 1.78 lbs What i learned from a collector: "The stamp is a Bon stamp, the conch horn is a very rare right spiraling conch, the spiral that is according to Tibetan Nyingma and the other splinter sects canon. It is in the opposite direction of a Bon spiral, and this is totally strange for it to have a Bon stamp on it. Just the fact that it is a truly right spiraling conch makes it rare. The figures in silver suggest a Dzogchen conch horn, either way it is a spectacular piece. Dzogchen is a very esoteric sect that shuns any practice, but encourages spontaneity. The bird is most likely a cuckoo, and the circle with the three figures that look like a leaf is a gankil but it is also of the Dzogchen sect. The cuckoo is a harbinger of the Dzogchen awareness 6 vajra verses. None of it fits, that is the enigma. Bon had their own script and some of what you have on the stamp is of that old Bon script that I doubt there is a person a live that can truly read with any accuracy. Two of the marks have to do with a special enlightened person. The other marks I do not understand. In short, a spectacular piece: probable Dzogchen engravings in the silver work, rare right spiral with the conch horn, as called for in the Buddhist canon, and a Bon stamp with indications of a very special enlightened person. This will be the curved line with the oval like a flame above it. The swastika is the big give away that it is Bon, the legs bend in the Bon direction, not in the Buddhist direction."
I got it from a local auction. I am trying to get in contact with the previous owner's to see what i might learn. FYI: there are 2 others, both left turning. all three have a stamp on them as this first one.
Auction House
Yes
Thank you for submitting your item for appraisal. This appears to be tibetan silver mounted situs inversus turbinella pyrum, the silver mounted decoration of foliage and semiprecious stone cabochons is quite typical and of average quality, possibly dating to the first half of the 20th century. The shell of marine snails usually grow in a clockwise direction when viewed from the top ("right-wound"). Described from an Indian perspective the "situs inversus" spiral to the right (sinistral turbinella pyrum), the opening or mouth to the right ( Valampuri Lakshmi Shank Turbinella Pyrum Conch ) . Some authors assume that such situs inversus conches can be found in one in a million, others assume one in ten thousand. Currently such a "new" conch sells for up to 2000 USD. To complicate the matter the Tibetans call left winding "right winding" and vice versa. According to literature the Tibetans assumed that this situs inversus variation should arise only if the living being was previously reborn five times as a sea snail ( is it only one in five?) Surprisingly several situs inversus tibetan conches sold unnoticed in the low hundreds at auction very recently. The estimate is based on auction results for similar well described and advertised conches sold at auction.
This refers to bön or bon བོན།, the truth, or true religion. Here is a description of this problem. http://boandbon.com/swastika.html. The collector refers to the right or left spiraling of the Swastika or Bon, which according to tibetan perspective would be correct - or not. Either way it would not increase the value.
Thank you. was really looking for information on the stamp. As noted, this is what make is a real mystery. Can you provide info on this? "The stamp is a Bon stamp, the conch horn is a very rare right spiraling conch, the spiral that is according to Tibetan Nyingma and the other splinter sects canon. It is in the opposite direction of a Bon spiral, and this is totally strange for it to have a Bon stamp on it."