Antq Nepalese Bronze Melong Mirror, 16th/17th Century, Newari Altar, Ex. Patina For Sale

Quick Look

• Antique Nepalese bronze melong mirror, 16th/17th century
• Also known as a Newari altar mirror or \"right thought\" ritual mirror
• Plain, unadorned convex face, no dragon or filigree casting typical of later tourist-trade examples
• Deep, rich, untouched bronze patina consistent with genuine age and ritual use
• Mirror face measures 4.25 inches; overall height approximately 7 3/4 inches
• Sound and solid throughout, no cracks, losses, or instability

Description
This antique Nepalese bronze melong, also known as a Newari altar mirror or \"right thought\" mirror, dates to the 16th or 17th century. It is a rare Himalayan devotional form used in Newari and Tibetan Buddhist ritual practice, reflecting the world without distortion as a symbol of clear, unclouded thought. Unlike the ornate, flame-surrounded, dragon-cast melongs that came to dominate the tourist trade from the 19th century onward, this example is entirely plain: a slightly convex, polished bronze disc mounted on an integral turned bronze stand that doubles as a handle, with no applied ornament of any kind. That plainness, paired with the depth and evenness of the patina, marks this as an early, honestly used ritual object rather than a piece made for sale. The mirror face measures 4.25 inches in diameter, with an overall height of approximately 7 3/4 inches. The piece is in excellent condition, sound and solid throughout with no cracks, losses, or wobble in the stand, and carries a rich, undisturbed patina built up over centuries rather than applied or accelerated. A genuinely early, unadorned example of a form most collectors only encounter in its later, far more common decorative iterations.

Returns accepted. We are pottery collectors and we pack and ship all items with the utmost care and attention.