Home Altar

In many world religions, home altars are spiritual tables on which sacred images, symbols or texts are placed and honored with offerings made for venerating deities and/or ancestors by family members that generally include light from candles or lamps, incense, flowers, food, and water. In Buddhism, home altars are physical spaces that support spiritual practice, encourage devotees to attain enlightenment and show gratitude to the Buddha for showing the way to enlightenment. Buddha and Buddhist deity statues and other spiritual symbols remind devotees of the qualities of Buddha’s wisdom and compassion and serve to inspire devotees to develop these qualities as they recall Buddha’s teachings.

Chinese Taoist and Popular Religion family home altars or shrines (Kam or Kung) honor ancestors, attract blessings and avert malevolent forces and influences. Ancestor worship is a family affair to communicate with and provide greetings and support to the deceased, engage in prayer, display filial piety and make offerings to ancestor statues and/or tablets. Taoist, Popular Religion and Buddhist deities maybe placed along with images of Taoist and Buddhist priests, deified local heroes and legends. Home altar statues are blessed in an eye-opening consecration ceremony performed by a Taoist or Buddhist priest or monk to imbue with them with chi and give them life. Offerings of candles, incense and foods are placed to attract blessings of fu which they augmented by placing furniture in certain locations and using propitious colors (red and gold attracts the most fu).

In Hinduism, the home altar is the most important part of a household where all family actions and decisions are made, special events are celebrated, and members gather to perform daily prayers (puja) to show reverence and devotion through prayer, supplication, songs, ceremonial worship and rituals. Hindu statues, images of deities who protect the family and engender good fortune, are placed there along with other ritual items of devotion.

Home altars are now viewed as spiritual, and often meditational spaces to celebrate one’s family. Along with spiritual icons or statues, they include photos of loved ones, well-loved mementos or trinkets, hand-written notes, or letters. Additional spiritual elements include candles, crystals, or incense.

Showing 73–84 of 95 results

  • Sale!

    Antique Taoist Priest on a Horse, China (16085BCK) $795

    Original price was: $795.00.Current price is: $675.75.
    H: 13” W: 4” D: 7” | FREE SHIPPING within the continental u.s.!

    This fine carving is a Taoist priest dressed in official garments astride a lively horse that was probably placed on a home or community clan shrine to protect devotees. In contrast to the erect and calm priest with expressive facial features, the ornately attired horse is active as it turns his head, opens his mouth, and widens his nostrils.  The priest’s powers as a guardian figure are symbolized in his hat with a mythical taotie that wards off evil and warns against gluttony and his hand is raised in prana mudra to activate vital energy flow, avert evil and bring good fortune.

  • Sale!

    Antique Taoist Priest with Elixir of Life in Cup, China (14018XCK) $295

    Original price was: $295.00.Current price is: $250.75.
    H: 7.25” W: 2.75” D: 2” | FREE SHIPPING within continental u.s.!

    Taoist priests like this were placed on home altars to bring wishes of fu – a virtuous, prosperous and long life into the home in which they were placed. This vibrant antique figure holds a ritual cup symbolically containing the elixir of life. The open back cavity reveals the slip that was placed there during a consecration ceremony by a Taoist priest.

     

  • Sale!

    Antique Taoist Queen Mother of the West Xiwangmu, China (16142BCK)

    Original price was: $525.00.Current price is: $446.25.
    H: 11.25” W: 4.625” D: 3.25” | FREE SHIPPING within Continental u.s.!

    This provincial carving is the  Queen Mother of the West, the most powerful female Taoist deity who is associated with all aspects of the female force (yin) : metal (one of the Five Elements), autumn, and the west. This small but well carved dense hardwood image made for private devotion on a home altar finely portrays her as a modest matronly figure holding her robe across her body creating deeply cut fold patterns seated on a red backless throne and wearing a large and well carved iconic phoenix in her headdress.

     

  • Sale!

    Antique White Robed Guanyin on a Hǒu, China(16963BKE) $795

    Original price was: $725.00.Current price is: $616.25.
    H: 15.125”  W: 6”  D: 5” | FREE SHIPPING within Continental U.S.!

    This charming rare White Robed Guanyin sits on a Hǒu, the mythical guardian beast that symbolizes righteousness and morality and the mandate to usher in peace and prosperity. Although generally beast, this Hǒu is a gentle Buddhist creature curled around Guanyin’s side as she in lalitsana clasping a rosary. This fine and rare provincial folk version of Guanyin is a small yet powerful carving, mounted on a frosted Acrylic base.

     

  • Sale!

    Antique Wood Guanyin in Meditation, China (16955BME) SPECIAL PRICE

    Original price was: $425.00.Current price is: $361.25.
    H: 9.75″ W: 5.625″ D: 3.75″ | FREE SHIPPING within continental u.s.!

    In this provincial carving made for personal use, Guanyin the Bodhisattva of Compassion who hears the cries of all beings, sits in meditation with flowing robes, eyes half closed, a round face and a slight smile. She is the embodiment of  loving-kindness. Her 5-lobed crown is centered with radiating lines symbolizing the aureole of the Amitabha Buddha of Infinite Light.

  • Sale!

    Antique Wood Nanhai Guanyin of the South Sea, China (19508BME) $595 SPECIAL PRICE

    Original price was: $595.00.Current price is: $505.75.
    H: 9.75″ W: 5″ D: 4.5″ | FREE SHIPPING within continental u.s.!

    This enchanting carving depicts Nanhai Guanyin in her Cave on Mount Putuo seated in lalitsana, below a symbolic arch of draped moss with bright pigmentation and considerable gilt. Nanhai Guanyin was massively popular during the Ming/Qing dynasties and provincial wood images were made home altars throughout China. She holds scrolls representing the dharma and sutras, behind her is a vial with the tears of her humanity and parrot, her constant companion. Small Nanhai images with all these symbols in this  condition are very rare.

  • Sale!

    Antique Wood Zhenwu the Taoist “Perfected Warrior,” China (19416XLKE) SPECIAL PRICE

    Original price was: $1,250.00.Current price is: $1,062.50.
    H: 15.25″  W: 6.75″  D: 6.75″ |CALL 213-568-3030 OR EMAIL [email protected] FOR SHIPPING COST

    Zhenwu (Perfected Warrior) is one of the most important and powerful Taoist deities, god of one of the 4 cardinal directions (the north) revered for his potent magical powers to suppress demonic forces. This provincial image for personal devotion and reflects his classic iconography: seated on a throne, bare feet resting on a snake and a tortoise, a celestial scarf and maille armor. Intricately carved he has a powerful presence.

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  • Sale!

    Antique Wood Zhenwu, The Taoist “Perfected Warrior” China (19066B) ME) $575

    Original price was: $575.00.Current price is: $488.75.
    H: 13” W: 5” D: 4.875” | FREE SHIPPING!

    The Taoist god Zhenwu, the Perfected Warrior, is one of the most revered Chinese Taoist deities venerated for his ability to heal as well as to protect his country and the emperor. In this fine provincial piece he is humbly presented with a plain robe with an official’s belt wrapped around his back and over his ample stomach which more resembles a Chinese official than a deified warrior.  His face has well-defined features including the eyes and lips set in a benevolent slight smile. It was painted in polychrome and some of the original black, yellow, and red paint can be seen on the bottom.

     

  • Sale!

    Antique Zhenwu, The Taoist “Perfected Warrior,” China (16097BME) $595

    Original price was: $595.00.Current price is: $505.75.
      H: 12”  W: 5.625”  D: 4” | FREE SHIPPING!

    This charming and rare provincial carving represents the Emperor Zhenwu known as True Warrior or Perfected Warrior who is one of the most revered Chinese Taoist figures, venerated for his military skill and his ability to heal and protect his country. Although he generally sits on a throne with a snake under his right foot and a tortoise under his left, here his left foot rests on the tortoise’s back entwined by a snake. Covered in gilt, he wears a plain official’s robe rather than military garb, and holds a jade belt, a portrayal often mistaken as a simple official. His long black flows down his back, covering and surrounding the rear cavity.

     

  • Sale!

    Antique/Vintage Brass Nandi Figurine, India (9509A-GAH) $245

    Original price was: $245.00.Current price is: $208.25.
    H: 4.5”  W: 2.25”  D: 3.25” | FREE SHIPPING

    This well articulated figurine features is Nandi decorated with jewels and recumbent on a high-tiered pedestal throne. Nandi figurines are placed on home altars for daily puja and are decorated with flowers and incense offerings as a sign of respect and this image has an attached incense holder for this purpose. Made using lost wax casting, it is a one-of-a-kind piece in very good condition with a fine patina and smooth surface.

     

     

  • Sale!

    Antique/Vintage Carved Hindu Devi Child’s Doll, India (3120FLK)

    Original price was: $85.00.Current price is: $72.25.
    H: 9.5″ W: 2″ D: 1.2″ | FREE SHIPPING WITHIN CONTINENTAL U.S.!

    This antique hardwood local female deity from a provincial area in South India is a Devi, a positive female spirit and fertility deity. Hand crafted as a child’s toy, it was intentionally crudely carved without much detail and created to entertain and instill pride in the local community’s heritage and religion. It has a shiny patina from natural hand oil as it was handled daily for a century or so.  

  • Sale!

    Antique/Vintage Carved House Deity, China (7507QOK) $295

    Original price was: $295.00.Current price is: $250.75.
    H: 12.7”  W: 3.375”  D: 3”| FREE SHIPPING!

    Images like this were commissioned by families to honor departed ancestors, and this family seems to have requested an amplified tribute by posing him with characteristics of Guandi, the god of war, or maybe it is Guandi very liberally depicted by a provincial artist. He sits on a high backless chair, hands on knees, one holding a small tael and the other poised to hold a sword, wearing military maille at the chest and knees, also used in depictions of Guandi. The calligraphy on the base is the name Wu (last) Fa Tian (first), the ancestor to whom the statue was dedicated.

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