Auspicious by Design

Auspicious by Design presents a selection of the Corona family collection of authentic, antique pieces of Tibetan furniture collected over a period of two decades. It is a tribute to the skilled and ingenious artisans who created each box, table, altar, or cabinet and the fascinating culture that inspired them. The book gives exceptional descriptions of uses, symbols, history, and trade of these heritage items.

As Tibet opened cautiously to the outside world in the 1980s, … There was so much to explore and so much to learn. Tibetan furniture was not first on the list, but for us it turned out to be another captivating aspect of the culture of Tibet and the start of a deep involvement buying, restoring, and eventually selling some exceptional pieces.” “Luca and I clearly recall our anticipation of entering a Lhasa dealer’s home, adjusting to the darkness after the bright mountain sunlight, and being led through the sombre corridor to the main room. The smells of incense, butter lamps, and momos (Tibetan dumplings) would waft through the air as we sat on the wooden couch, which served as a bed at night, covered with a beautiful, if dusty old khaden rug during the daytime. The lady of the house would enter with a thermos of steaming Tibetan butter tea, the perfect energy drink for high altitudes.”

“In Kathmandu the focus of the Tibetan furniture trade was in Boudha in the Tibetan area around the great Stupa, and Durbar Marg, arguably the main street in the city. At that time, Kathmandu was full of colourful characters: Tibetan, Newar, inji (foreigners) who were part of an intriguing mix of dealers, connoisseurs, Tibetologists, scholars, aid workers, mountaineers, trekking guides, and seekers. Linked in time and place, their lives interwove to perpetuate the illusion of the mythical Kathmandu of the 1960s and 70’s.”