QIANLONG INCISED FOUR-CHARACTER MARK IN A LINE AND OF THE PERIOD (1736-1795)

The ritual bell or ghanta, is described in teachings as 'proclaiming the sound of emptiness' and represents the female aspect of wisdom and truth in voidness of form and emptiness. The ghanta together with the vajra, were important Buddhist ritual implements which were held in the right and left hands respectively to make elaborate ritual movements and they are also attributes of Buddhist deities. Both are usually made of bronze where jade examples are far rarer. An example of a similar jade ritual bell but of a smaller size is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 42 - Jadeware (III), Hong Kong, 1995, pp. 134-35, no. 113, also dated to the Qianlong period.