Interesting Phurba

VANDOO · 5th August 2010, 08:24 PM

OLD OR NOT IT IS DEFINITELY WORTH HAVING FOR A SILLY LOW PRICE.

THE ONE FROM THE MUSEUM IN THE UKRANE IS THE FANCYEST ONE I HAVE EVER SEEN. WISH I COULD READ RUSSIAN TO SEE HOW OLD IT IS AND WHAT ITS MADE OF AND ANY OTHER PROVENANCE.

Atlantia · 5th August 2010, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VANDOO

OLD OR NOT IT IS DEFINITELY WORTH HAVING FOR A SILLY LOW PRICE.

THE ONE FROM THE MUSEUM IN THE UKRANE IS THE FANCYEST ONE I HAVE EVER SEEN. WISH I COULD READ RUSSIAN TO SEE HOW OLD IT IS AND WHAT ITS MADE OF AND ANY OTHER PROVENANCE.

Translated page

Battara · 6th August 2010, 02:03 AM

Now that one is great and made for nobility. Most of the real phurbas are not as ornate, but have the same craftsmanship (good chasing work, good casting, etc).

The one that started this thread is not of that quality and others like it from China are not of that caliber. It is sad that they are getting more accurate in their work, but not in quality.

Tatyana Dianova · 6th August 2010, 07:58 AM

Applause to Google - the translation is not perfect, but quite acceptable

VANDOO · 7th August 2010, 03:36 AM

THANKS FOR THE TRANSLATION A VERY INTERESTING ARTICLE ON A VERY COOL OBJECT.

Jim McDougall · 7th August 2010, 07:20 AM

The way I have understood it, these typically had triple 'blades' as they were traditionally developed from the common tent pegs in early Tibetan nomadic history. As these were enhanced into Tantric ritual objects, there was key symbolism attributed to the three numeric in the blades. According to some sources, the term phur means nail or peg, and in Central Tibet these are phur-pa; while in Khan, Amdo and Ladakh the term is phur-bu.
Since these are ritual objects used symbolically it is noted that they may be made from various materials, not restricted to iron or brass, some are also wood.

Probably one of the best sources for illustrations of the variations on these would be "The Phur-Pa : Tibetan Ritual Dagger" by John C. Huntington, Artibus Asiae supplement XXXIII, Switzerland, 1975. Though this one is tough to locate, I would use interlibrary services or collegiate libraries.

Another article could be found using these services;
"The Phur-Bu: The Use and Symbolism of the Tibetan Magic Dagger", Georgette Meredith, "History of Religions" 6:3 , Feb. 1967, pp.236-253

I thought I would add these resources for the readers who would like to research these interesting items further.

Since so many of these Tibetan items are being produced commercially, it is hard to determine authenticity without close hands on examination. I would suspect this one may be commercial, but seems to be somewhat older, though not necessarily antique.

Good topic!!!

Andy Stevens · 13th August 2010, 10:50 AM

Thanks to everyone for their replies! We recently went to the British museum but they didn't have much in the way of phurba. Unfortunately I didn't get a good pic of the one they did have, next time! Anything further we find about ours we will be sure to post! Thanks again!
Andy and Karina

5th August 2010, 08:24 PM	#1
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	OLD OR NOT IT IS DEFINITELY WORTH HAVING FOR A SILLY LOW PRICE. THE ONE FROM THE MUSEUM IN THE UKRANE IS THE FANCYEST ONE I HAVE EVER SEEN. WISH I COULD READ RUSSIAN TO SEE HOW OLD IT IS AND WHAT ITS MADE OF AND ANY OTHER PROVENANCE.

6th August 2010, 02:03 AM	#3
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,272	Now that one is great and made for nobility. Most of the real phurbas are not as ornate, but have the same craftsmanship (good chasing work, good casting, etc). The one that started this thread is not of that quality and others like it from China are not of that caliber. It is sad that they are getting more accurate in their work, but not in quality.

6th August 2010, 07:58 AM	#4
Tatyana Dianova Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 735	Applause to Google - the translation is not perfect, but quite acceptable

7th August 2010, 03:36 AM	#5
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	THANKS FOR THE TRANSLATION A VERY INTERESTING ARTICLE ON A VERY COOL OBJECT.

7th August 2010, 07:20 AM	#6
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,192	The way I have understood it, these typically had triple 'blades' as they were traditionally developed from the common tent pegs in early Tibetan nomadic history. As these were enhanced into Tantric ritual objects, there was key symbolism attributed to the three numeric in the blades. According to some sources, the term phur means nail or peg, and in Central Tibet these are phur-pa; while in Khan, Amdo and Ladakh the term is phur-bu. Since these are ritual objects used symbolically it is noted that they may be made from various materials, not restricted to iron or brass, some are also wood. Probably one of the best sources for illustrations of the variations on these would be "The Phur-Pa : Tibetan Ritual Dagger" by John C. Huntington, Artibus Asiae supplement XXXIII, Switzerland, 1975. Though this one is tough to locate, I would use interlibrary services or collegiate libraries. Another article could be found using these services; "The Phur-Bu: The Use and Symbolism of the Tibetan Magic Dagger", Georgette Meredith, "History of Religions" 6:3 , Feb. 1967, pp.236-253 I thought I would add these resources for the readers who would like to research these interesting items further. Since so many of these Tibetan items are being produced commercially, it is hard to determine authenticity without close hands on examination. I would suspect this one may be commercial, but seems to be somewhat older, though not necessarily antique. Good topic!!!

13th August 2010, 10:50 AM	#7
Andy Stevens Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: London Posts: 155	Thanks to everyone for their replies! We recently went to the British museum but they didn't have much in the way of phurba. Unfortunately I didn't get a good pic of the one they did have, next time! Anything further we find about ours we will be sure to post! Thanks again! Andy and Karina