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Lot Essay
The motifs carved on both sides of the present bowl are significant symbols in Tibetan Buddhism. Known as the Eight Buddhist Emblems, these symbols first appeared on ceramics of the Yuan period and found popularity in later Ming and Qing ceramics. They comprise: the Wheel of the Law, lun, symoblising the inexorable expansion of Buddha's teachings; the Conch Shell, luo, the far reaching sound of Buddha's teachings; the Umbrella, san, victory of Buddha's teachings and thereby triumph over all hindrances; the Canopy, gai, royal grace and spiritual power; the Lotus, hua, purity and truthfulness in adversity; the Vase, ping, eternal harmony and receptacle for the nectar of immortality; the Paired Fish, shuangyu, conjugal happiness, fertility, protection, spiritual liberation; and the Endless Knot, zhang, eternity. A point of note for the present bowl is the additional 'paired fish' carved in high relief on the interior, this is a popular secular motif representing marital bliss and abundance.