QIANLONG SIX-CHARACTER SEAL MARKS IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE AND OF THE PERIOD (1736-1795)

The form of these altar vases are known as benbaping and was made to contain Sacred Plants for rituals associated with Lamaist Buddhism. The form is probably based on a jewel-encrusted silver original known as a Bumpa, the Tibetan word for ‘vase’. Vessels of this type were made for use in Buddhist temples situated within the Palace grounds that were constructed throughout the Qianlong period. For an illustration of a silver Bumpa, see Cultural Relics of Tibetan Buddhism Collected in the Qing Palace, Beijing, 1996, pl. 146, where the author mentions Bumpa vessels were originally used in Tibet for displaying sprays of herbs and placed in front of images of Buddha. The colourful banding seen on the neck of the current vases resembled the multi-coloured silk banners, often suspended in cylindrical form, in Buddhist temples. Examples can be seen in the Hall of Long Life of the Potala illustrated in The Potala, Encyclopedia of China Publishing House, Beijing, 1995, p. 52, no. 11.