porcelain-like glass. The encircling necklace is of raw
turquoise lumps set in silver and separated one from
another by large coral beads. The necklace to which
the central charm box is attached is singularly characteristic.
The brass work of the Tibetans exhibits their art m
its highest form. The little gods which sit in rows along
the altar shelves of Tibet are models of good and
restrained convention. The finish is delicate, and the
sheer technical skill with which the artist manipulates
his material is undeniable. Examples of these statuettes
will be seen on p. 379. The same delicate workmanship
is carried also into other objects of their daily
life or religion. The plate showing different articles
which were lately in the possession of the deposed and
- assassinated Regent of Lhasa will give a better idea of
the workmanship often bestowed upon these things
than pages of description. The white teacup and the
yellow glass bowl are the only articles in the plate which
are of Chinese manufacture. The former contains an
almost invisible design watermarked into the material.
Tibetans are capable of producing pottery of a fair
quality, but this is quite beyond their powers.
The woven stuffs of Tibet are extremely interesting,
and the patterns are indigenous. I have elsewhere
suggested that in rugs alone a thriving and successful
trade might be carried on with the neighbourhood of
Gyantse. Most of their silks are imported from China.
It may fairly be said that nothing manufactured in
Tibet is positively ugly, and though the hierocratic
tendencies which have checked the political independence
of the people of the country have also tended to confine
its artists within narrow channels, the very stiffness
Tibetan jewellery.
THIS P L A T E IS SU F F IC IE N T L Y D E SC R IB ED IN THE T E X T .