Page 26 - A MONUMENTAL GILT-BRONZE BUTTER LAMPS IN TIBETAN BUDDHIST RITUALS

Cast Jingtai six-character mark The second possibility is that the butter lamp was made
The butter lamp is cast with a six-character reign mark reading before the Jingtai period, but that the Jingtai and zhi
from right to left: ‘Da Ming Jingtai Nian Zhi’ (made in the great characters were cast during the Jingtai period, replacing an
Ming dynasty Jingtai reign). The three characters Jing tai and zhi earlier Imperial reign mark, possibly of the Yongle, Xuande or
are separately cast, but would appear to bear the same thick Zhengtong periods. It should be noted that the present
gilding as the rest of the surface and other characters, which inscription is written from right to left. Yongle and Xuande reign
poses several possibilities, which will be further explored. marks on Buddhist bronzes are, however, typically inscribed
left to right, following the direction of the Tibetan script.
The first possibility is that the vessel and the mark are However, in both periods, inscriptions on other vessels are
contemporaneous to the Jingtai period, i.e. Jingtai mark and written from right to left, as can be seen on large stone basins,
of the period (1449 - 1457). presently in the Yuanmingyuan, inscribed Da Ming Yongle nian
zao, and on Xuande mark and period Imperial porcelain. Still, it
This could be the case if there were casting flaws or is not clear why, if the lamp was made prior to the Jingtai
complications in the more complex characters including a reign, was it deemed necessary to replace the zao or shi
larger number of strokes, which may have required special character to a zhi, as discussed above.
casting. The gilding applied to the surface would have been
thick and would have disguised any border lines, as indeed A third possibility is that the Jingtai and zhi characters were
can be often seen on gilt-bronze figures originally repaired with altered after the Jingtai period. This would appear to be an
rectangular ‘patches’, which over the years are often exposed. unlikely option. Firstly, it would still be unclear why the last
This explanation is reinforced by a closely related example of a character has been replaced. Secondly, whilst there are
large gilt-bronze ritual vase, hu, cast Xuande six-character apocryphal Jingtai marks, these would appear to be arguably
mark and of the period, from the Qutan Monastery, which also exclusive to cloisonné enamel works of art, and most often
bears a cast Tibetan inscription, which was exhibited in the added during the 17th and 18th century. It seems unlikely that
Palace Museum, Beijing and is illustrated in Splendors from later in the Ming period an apocryphal Jingtai mark would be
the Yongle (1403-1424) and Xuande (1426 – 1435) Reigns of made to replace an earlier Ming Imperial reign mark, and even
China’s Ming Dynasty: Selected Artifacts, Beijing, 2010, p.298, less likely and far-fetched that a vessel of such importance
no.150. It is clear the Tibetan inscription was cast separately would be produced in the Qing period with an apocryphal cast
in a rectangular form and then integrated into the vase; Ming mark which was then later changed to Jingtai.
similarly, the shi character in the Xuande inscription seems to
have been separately cast and inserted – both corresponding In conclusion, the most likely possibility is that the Jingtai and
to the casting technique of the present butter lamp. zhi characters are original to the casting of the vessel and their
borders would have originally been covered with gilt which has
This option is further strengthened by the lack of a convincing since worn.
explanation for replacing the last character zhi. Imperial reign
marks have three possible endings: zhi, zao (both meaning The Jingtai Emperor
‘made’), and shi (meaning ‘bestowed’). If the present last The Jingtai Emperor, Zhu Qiyu (b.1428 – d.1457; reigned
character is a replacement, it could have only replaced a zao 1449-1457), was the second son of the Xuande Emperor and
or a shi. There would be no apparent reason to alter a zao to a replaced his brother the Zhengtong Emperor on the throne
zhi, as these would appear to be interchangeable in meaning when the latter was captured by the Oyrat Mongols following
(although the different use of the characters on inscriptions on the defeat in the Battle of the Tumu Fort in 1449. When the
the Xuande cloisonné enamel ‘dragon’ jars in the British Zhengtong Emperor was released in 1450 he was granted the
Museum and the Rietberg Museum from the Uldry Collection, title of Emperor Emeritus. However, when the Jingtai
would indicate that zao was used by the Imperial Workshops). Emperor’s death was imminent, the Emperor Emeritus
Would there be any reason to modify a shi character to a zao? deposed him and took the throne under the reign name of the
The former can be seen frequently used on Buddhist gilt- Tianshun Emperor.
bronze figures of the Yongle and Xuande periods, but no
known example of such modification would appear to have The Jingtai Emperor’s interest in Buddhism is evident from his
been published. Furthermore, there would not seem to be any wish in 1453 to have a full-scale visit to the Longfusi
apparent reason to change the last characters. Therefore, it (Abundant Blessings) temple, which was newly constructed at
would seem that the present reign mark is of the period. Imperial expense near the Forbidden City. See S.Naquin,
Peking: Temples and City Life 1400 – 1900, Berkeley, 2001,

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