Page 27 - A MONUMENTAL GILT-BRONZE BUTTER LAMPS IN TIBETAN BUDDHIST RITUALS

pp.29-31, 152. However, due to objections from the Ministry of
Rites, the visit did not take place.

It is also possible to draw a comparison from the case of the
Yongle Emperor who supported the legitimacy of his rule and
Mandate from Heaven, having usurped the throne from the
Jianwen Emperor, by inviting Tibetan Buddhist monks such as
Deshin Shekpa, who provided him with portents and omens
demonstrating Heaven’s favour.

The Jingtai Emperor faced a comparable situation, when he
chose to remain on the throne despite the release of the
Zhengtong Emperor from captivity in 1450, having placed the
now Emperor Emeritus in house arrest, until the former’s
imminent death in 1457, when the Emperor Emeritus staged a
coup and regained the throne as the Tianshun Emperor.

Furthermore, the death of Jingtai’s son, Zhu Jianji, the declared
heir apparent, in March 1453, who was made heir, deposing
Zhengtong’s infant son Zhu Jianshen, was interpreted as
evidence of Heaven’s displeasure.

Additionally, China experienced famine between 1450-1455,
coinciding with the majority of the Jingtai reign, which likely
also contributed to a loss of faith in the Emperor’s mandate to
rule. One official said to the Jingtai Emperor in 1454: ‘Restore
the Prince’s [Zhu Jianshen] status as heir apparent; secure the
great foundation of the realm. If this is done, then gentle
weather will fill the realm and the disasters will end of their own
accord.’ The Emperor ordered the man to be executed but
when the next day a sandstorm shrouded the capital, fearing
that this was Heaven’s rebuke, he revoked his order. See T.
Brook, The Troubled Empire: China in the Yuan and Ming
Dynasties, Cambridge MA., 2010, p.97.

The traumatic event of a capture of an Emperor could have led
to the toppling of the Ming Empire. The enthronement of the
Zhengtong Emperor’s half-brother as the Jingtai Emperor
(preferring him over Zhengtong’s infant son), and his
continuous rule even after Zhengtong’s release, would have
cast doubts over his Mandate from Heaven to rule. The death
of the Jingtai Emperor’s heir apparent, was interpreted as loss
of Heaven’s favour, as was the famine. Each of these were key
events, emphasising the importance of reinforcing the
perception of maintaining Heaven’s favour. As in the case of
the Yongle Emperor, the Jingtai Emperor could have equally
demonstrated this by religious patronage and Imperial gifts to A gilt-bronze, hu, xuande mark and period, Qutan Monastery,
important monasteries and temples, uniquely represented in Qinghai Museum; image courtesy of the Palace Museum, Beijing
this important Imperial monumental Buddhist butter lamp. 青海省博物館藏明宣德銅鎏金雙耳活環瓶

A MONUMENTAL GILT-BRONZE RITUAL BUTTER LAMP: A RARE VESTIGE OF IMPERIAL MING CHINA | 25