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Lot Essay
The exterior of the bowl is masterfully carved in high relief with seven figures of Buddha, all seated in dyanasana with hands folded on the lap. These seven Buddhas are the historical Buddhas of this world, namely Vipasya, Siki, Visvabhu, Krokutachan, Nakanakamuni, Kasyapa and Sakyamuni. There is an inscription next to each Buddha with his respective name and mantra. The interior of the alm's bowl is incised with a Qianlong imperial poem included in Yuzhishi, vol. 5, juan 27 (fig.2).
In the Tang dynasty, the poet Pi Rixiu (c. AD 834-883) composed a poem on a green stone ‘Seven Buddha’ alms bowl in the Kaiyuan temple, supposedly once used by the Buddha himself, and somehow found its way to China. Having read the poem, the Qianlong Emperor made a special request to see this bowl when he visited the temple on his first Southern Tour. He was very taken by the simple and archaic form of the bowl, and ordered the bowl to be produced in aloeswood. Although the original aloeswood examples had been lost, a similar one made, following that example, was sold at Christie’s London, 15 May 2007, lot 186 (fig.3).
In the fifty-first year of the Qianlong reign (1786), the Qianlong Emperor ordered the Suzhou imperial jade workshop to carve ‘Seven Buddha’ alm’s bowl from jades, with his newly composed poem inscribed on the interior, explaining the reason for remaking the bowl in a more durable material. The present alm’s bowl is likely one of the alm’s bowl produced during that time.
Only two other Qianlong imperial inscribed jade alm’s bowl appear to be known. One made from celadon jade is now in the collection of the Yiheyuan Summer Palace, illustrated in Yiheyuan cang wenwu daxi, yuqi juan-1, Beijing, 2018, pp. 186-190 (fig. 4). The other made from spinach-jade, with much of the gilding remaining, in the Norton Museum of Art, Florida (Gift of R. H. Norton, 42.66). Compare also to a smaller white jade ‘Seven Buddha’ alm’s bowl without imperial bowl in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Jadeware (III), Hong Kong, 1995, p. 146, no. 118; and a mottled dark green jade example sold at Christie’s New York, 13 September 2019, lot 844.
In the Tang dynasty, the poet Pi Rixiu (c. AD 834-883) composed a poem on a green stone ‘Seven Buddha’ alms bowl in the Kaiyuan temple, supposedly once used by the Buddha himself, and somehow found its way to China. Having read the poem, the Qianlong Emperor made a special request to see this bowl when he visited the temple on his first Southern Tour. He was very taken by the simple and archaic form of the bowl, and ordered the bowl to be produced in aloeswood. Although the original aloeswood examples had been lost, a similar one made, following that example, was sold at Christie’s London, 15 May 2007, lot 186 (fig.3).
In the fifty-first year of the Qianlong reign (1786), the Qianlong Emperor ordered the Suzhou imperial jade workshop to carve ‘Seven Buddha’ alm’s bowl from jades, with his newly composed poem inscribed on the interior, explaining the reason for remaking the bowl in a more durable material. The present alm’s bowl is likely one of the alm’s bowl produced during that time.
Only two other Qianlong imperial inscribed jade alm’s bowl appear to be known. One made from celadon jade is now in the collection of the Yiheyuan Summer Palace, illustrated in Yiheyuan cang wenwu daxi, yuqi juan-1, Beijing, 2018, pp. 186-190 (fig. 4). The other made from spinach-jade, with much of the gilding remaining, in the Norton Museum of Art, Florida (Gift of R. H. Norton, 42.66). Compare also to a smaller white jade ‘Seven Buddha’ alm’s bowl without imperial bowl in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Jadeware (III), Hong Kong, 1995, p. 146, no. 118; and a mottled dark green jade example sold at Christie’s New York, 13 September 2019, lot 844.