Tibetan Pegam / 18thC Cabinet/6 Door /

Details

Description

Antique Tibetan Pegam locking book chest 18th Century

Pegam is a unique and distinctive type of Tibetan furniture. In Tibetan, … Read more Antique Tibetan Pegam locking book chest 18th Century

Pegam is a unique and distinctive type of Tibetan furniture. In Tibetan, the word peja or pecha means book, while gam means box. We rarely come across a pegam as they were mostly used by high ranking Lamas in their personal chambers, of which many burnt to the ground during the Chinese takeover.

The pegam is typically characterized as a small cabinet with a scalloped panel at the back and molded panels at the side. This arrangement was specially made as an honored space to hold and read upon. The Lamas would rest manuscripts on the top of the pegam; successively read pages were leaned against the vertical back panel.

Provenance:
While living and working in Kathmandu, Nepal, I met Dr. Ruth Sumerlin Hayward, a scholar and collector with a deep interest in Himalayan material culture. She was professionally associated with my husband, Julio (Andy) Andrews, and we quickly became close friends. During that period, we spent significant time at the 4th Century Stupa, Boudhanath, which held an enclave of Tibetan immigrants. Often even in the middle of the nigh caravans of newly arrived Tibetan refugees were unloading extraordinary chests, cabinets, and ritual furniture. Many of these pieces—then largely unknown in the West—
would later appear in major publications, museum collections
.and a few tribal art dealers inventory.
Dr. Hayward was among the early and discerning collectors of this material. A portion of her collection was later donated to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). My own collection, assembled during those same years and closely tied to these shared experiences, is only now being made available for scholarly and public appreciation

References:
Kamansky, David. Wooden Wonders. Pacific Asia Museum and Serinda Publications Inc., Chicago, IL, US

Corona, Camilla & Corona, Luca. Auspicious by Design. Mera Publications Pvt. Ltd., 2021

Buckley, Chris. Tibetan Furniture. Floating World Editions, Warren, CT

Marie is an
Associate Member of ATADA
The Authentic Tribal Art Dealers Association
https://atada.org/intro-about See less