Reliquary box with lotus design

This rare box is in remarkable condition and still contains its precious relics, most likely because it was preserved inside a stupa. The contents are essentially intact and comprise the gold finial of a stupa (consisting of a square entablature, or 'harmika', and parasol), a small round gold box filled with tiny beads and rock dust, and a larger round copper box, the contents of which have been removed. The box resembles the one held in the left hand of the 'Stele with bodhisattva seated in contemplation' (Acc.no. 7.1997).

The Asian Collections, AGNSW, 2003, pg.28.

Literature: 'Reliquary' in Lerner and Kossak, 1991. cf cat.no. 43, 'The Lotus Transcendent, pg. 77.