Ritual sword, Tibet, 19th centuryComposed of a straight rustic blade with a flat back. The scabbard consists of a silver plate on each side, embossed and chased on pine laths, inserted into an iron mounting on one side and chased iron and brass on the other and decorated with a turquoise cabochon. The plates are decorated with auspicious symbols including the eight Tibetan Buddhist treasures: the endless knot, the parasol, the wheel, the dextrograde conch, the lotus, the treasure urn, the dai (or parasol), the pair of fish and the banner. The top of the scabbard, always in embossed silver, is decorated with a dragon on one side and a phoenix on the other. The handle is made of wood, the ferrule and the pommel are made of silver embossed with religious symbols on the first side and a dragon and a phoenix on the second. The hilt is made of brass in a poly-lobed shape. Total length: 58 cm; gross weight: 846 g