Tantric Buddhist Ritual Ornament Made Of Bone

Tantric Buddhist ritual ornament made of bone, depicting a dancing Citipati skeleton, originating from the Tibet/Nepal region and dating to the late 19th / early 20th century.

The piece measures 22 cm in height, 5 cm in width, and 5 cm in depth, with a weight of 112 grams. It is mounted on a transparent resin base that facilitates display.
It comes from a Dutch private collection devoted to Nepalese and Tibetan Buddhist art.

This is a ceremonial bone element, originally part of a more complex structure known as a chöd apron, worn during tantric ritual dances by monks or spiritual teachers (lamas).
These dances, especially within the Vajrayāna tradition, embody the union of compassion and wisdom through the dissolution of the ego and the acceptance of death as a path to liberation.
Aprons composed of human or animal bone elements — sometimes derived from ritual funerary practices — were considered deeply symbolic and powerfully apotropaic.

According to Tibetan mythology, the Citipati were two ascetics who were beheaded while meditating, later becoming guardian spirits symbolizing the impermanence of life and the transience of the body.
Their eternal dance represents not death, but transcendence: the celebration of awareness beyond the cycle of samsara.
These ornaments were integral to sacred Cham dances performed in monasteries during festivals such as Losar or Gutor, where demonic energies were purified and death was confronted with wisdom.

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