Weiner Mihályné szerk.: Az Iparművészeti Múzeum Évkönyvei 11. (Budapest, 1968)

HOPP FERENC MÚZEUM — MUSÉE FERENC HOPP - Horváth, Tibor: Report on the Activities of the Hopp Museum of Eastern Asiatic Arts in 1967

In the 16

th century owing to the spreading of Lamaism, the Tibetan form of Buddhism and to the establishment of the monastery system Tibetan influence began to prevail not only in the case of objects of cult, but in that of utensils used in monasteries as well. The name of our pot also points to its Tibetan origin: Mongolian "dombo" corresponds to Tibetan "don-po"

2 which originally meant a cylindrical vessel made of wood or bamboo for holding water or milk in it. Mongols store boiling tea prepared first in an other pot. Tea drinking has a great significance at the Mongols; partly it is a ritual preserving the remnants of old Shamanism, partly an important part of their meals. They generally mix tea with milk and salt sometimes also with flour and jam for supplying their meals of low calorific value. The material of our pot is silver. This fact leads us to the conclusion that it could belong either to a monastery or to wealthy secular men, as the pots of the poor were generally made of copper. Opposite to the cylindrical body showing Tibetan influence— though the form of our piece is sturdier than that of the corresponding Tibetan ones

3

.— the ornamentation round the plain surface has drawn on Mongolian folk motifs* and is united in a pleasant harmony with the simple form of the pot. Footnotes 1 Mongolyn ardyn gar urlag é. h. sz. n. 2 Das Sarat Chandra Tibetan English Dictionary, 1902. pp. 642. 3 Objects from the Tibetan Lamaist Collection of Jacques Marchais, USA, 1941. 4 Mongul ardyn gojel cïmgiju chee é. h. n. figures 56, 38 and 60.