Country Group:

Item id: 10693

Very Early Tibetan or other Himalayan Quartz Crystal Buddhist Lama/Monk.. Carved with primitive tools. You can tell this because all of the incised lines are straight, with no curves of any kind because they did not have the ability to carve curved lines in the early periods in most of the places this would have come from . At the same time, it somehow manages to capture an expressiveness and depth that few modern carvers can capture, even with the most sophisticated tools. It is an unusually clear piece of quartz. It’s probably the earliest.Lama/Monk I have seen in this medium in 35 years of collecting and selling.

In reality, it is almost impossible to know the age for sure given that it is quartz stone, so to assess the age, one must look at the surface, the carving style, the look of the carving marks, and the overall look and feel of the piece. My best estimate would be that this is likely 14/15 century and possibly earlier. You are unlikely to come across another like it. Spend time looking into the face and note how with a few simple lines it manages to come alive. It was probably a real challenge for the person who carved this to plan and execute their vision and then to finish it so finely.