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A beautiful old prayer wheel from the 19th century.  The copper prayer cylinder is supported by a wooden handle with a Tse Bum or vase of immortality, carved into.  Gorgeous patina throughout.

The prayer wheel is an ever present sight throughout Tibet and the Buddhist Himalaya. The prayer wheel is most often made of metal but occasionally they are to be found made of wood or bound leather.

The interior of the prayer wheels are filled with countless quantities mantra or prayer, usually -  "OM MANI PADME HUM". This is the six syllable mantra invoking Avalokiteshwara - the divinity who embodies compassion. Pronounced "Om Mani Peme Hu" in the Tibetan language, each complete turn of the wheel is thought to equal repeating the mantra the number of times it is written on the rolled prayer scroll inside.

The prayer wheel is a unique spiritual technology traditionally found only in the Himalayas and Tibet.  Followers of Himalayan style tantric Buddhism acknowledge that spinning a prayer wheel with mindfulness is  an excellent means of generating merit, which can then be dedicated to the benefit of all sentient beings.