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Lot Essay
The present type of altar ornaments belongs to a group of porcelain ritual wares modelled after Tibetan metal prototypes that was specially commissioned by the Qing Court for placement on Buddhist altars for ceremonial use in palaces and temples either within the Forbidden Palace or the Bishushanzhuang in Chengde. Compare to a Qianlong doucai Tibetan-style ewer (lot 3071) from this group in the present sale. For a metal original of the present type of altar ornament, refer to a gilt-silver example inlaid with semi-precious stones in the Tibet Museum, illustrated in Treasures from Snow Mountains: Gems of Tibetan Cultural Relics, Shanghai, 2001, p. 152, no. 70.
The present type of altar ornaments was displayed in pairs, such as a pair from the Qianlong period placed on the altar table on the second floor of the Fanhua Pavilion in the Forbidden City, see Sacrificial Vessels in the Sanctuary of Buddhist Essence, Beijing, 2013, nos. 66 and 75. Compare also to another pair from the Jiaqing period, formerly preserved in the Bishushanzhuang is in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Monarchy and Its Buddhist Way: Tibetan-Buddhist Ritual, Taipei, 2002, p. 175, no. 83.
The present type of altar ornaments was displayed in pairs, such as a pair from the Qianlong period placed on the altar table on the second floor of the Fanhua Pavilion in the Forbidden City, see Sacrificial Vessels in the Sanctuary of Buddhist Essence, Beijing, 2013, nos. 66 and 75. Compare also to another pair from the Jiaqing period, formerly preserved in the Bishushanzhuang is in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Monarchy and Its Buddhist Way: Tibetan-Buddhist Ritual, Taipei, 2002, p. 175, no. 83.