18TH-19TH CENTURY

According to Terese Tse Bartholomew in Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, 2006, p. 185, no. 7.19, the endless knot, or panchang in Chinese, is one of the Eight Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism, symbolizing the endless wisdom and compassion of the Buddha. In Chinese iconography, it has come to stand for infinity and longevity. The endless knot is so called because it has no beginning or end.