Free learning resources from arts, cultural and heritage organisations.

From story
Tibetan Skull Cup
Download Image View story
Inside the Tibetan skull cup showing the lines of the skull plates Add to board
This resource is licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA

Inside the Tibetan Skull Cup

Interior of a Tibetan skull cup. The skull top of a respected Buddhist priest, or lama is incorporated into this sacred cup, as a highly sacred relic. It would have been retrieved from a cremation or funeral pyre. The cup was used for religious offerings at a Buddhist monastery.

 

Image © Leeds Museums & Galleries. Detail of photo by curator Antonia Lovelace