GUEST: This was my late father-in-law's. And we don't know where he got it, or how long he had it. We figure he probably got it in the '60s. He seemed to have a special affinity for Asian art, and this was one of the things that was in this apartment.
APPRAISER: Do you have any idea what it is?
GUEST: We believe it's Tibetan. We don't know what it is-- possibly a prayer screen or a painting. Other than that, not a clue.
APPRAISER: Well, it's actually Nepalese.
GUEST: Oh, okay.
APPRAISER: Now, a lot of Nepali artists and artisans worked in Tibet.
GUEST: Right.
APPRAISER: This is a 19th century shrine. It's a votive shrine that would have been in someone's house.
GUEST: Oh, okay.
APPRAISER: Probably the latter part of the 19th century. It normally depicts the god Vishnu, who is the protector, one of the Hindu gods. He normally has four arms. Right. Here the divinity has two, and it's probably Avalokitesvara, who is the Buddhist god of compassion.
GUEST: Oh, that's nice.
APPRAISER: Surrounded by supportive divinities and what they call apsaras, which are flying bodhisattvas at the top. The detail work, here you have dragons, makara dragons, all throughout the outside framed edge. And you have associate divinities all around the sides. This is a copper repoussé plaque. Essentially the whole piece of this is made of copper that has been either wire overlaid or punched out in high relief. Nepalese craftsmen were known for their great repoussé work, their stonecutting work, and their filigree work. So you will see all sorts of semiprecious stones here, you will see rock crystal, you will see tourmaline, you will see malachite, coral, and you will also see bone inlay here as part of the pillars. This is really master craftsmen at work. Probably one to do the inlays, and one to do the repoussé work, which would have maybe taken two or three months. At auction, it would bring somewhere in the vicinity, even with a little bit of restoration work down here, it would bring between $15,000 and $25,000.
GUEST: You're kidding.
APPRAISER: No.
GUEST: That's wonderful.
