A SINO-TIBETAN GILT-COPPER STUPA

细节

A SINO-TIBETAN GILT-COPPER STUPA
QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

The reliquary is well cast on a waisted square section base decorated in relief with confronted lions flanking flaming pearls, the domed bulbous stupa encircled by makara masks issuing pendent jewels and with a miniature image of Amitabha enclosed in a niche framed by flame scrolls, surmounted by a pedestal supporting a set of thirteen graduated Buddhist umbrellas
11½ in. (29.2 cm.) high

拍品专文

Stupas were originally memorial monuments built over the mortal remains of the Sakyamuni, and other important figures. They represent the past and the present, and a symbol of Nirvana. The unique architectural form of the present example is strongly influenced by Tibetan characteristics. The square Mt. Sumeru base and the tapered steps are Tibetan in style, while the rounded dome is Indian in origin. Above is the harmika, consisting of a conical spire of thirteen layers, symbolic of the thirteen stages of enlightenment.