Page 92 - Bonhams Fine Chinese Art Nov 2013 London

72 Stupas were originally memorial monuments built over the mortal
A rare cloisonné enamel stupa remains of important Buddhist figures, including by tradition the
18th century Sakyamuni Buddha himself. They represent the past and the
The Buddhist monument decorated with a single opening in the present, and are a symbol of Nirvana; in addition they encourage the
form of a bodhi leaf and covered by a door enamelled with a formal meditative progress of the acolyte as he circumambulates the shrine
lotus, the body with a leafy scroll issuing blossoming lotus and clockwise. Architectural features were designed to encourage this
buds beneath a band of grinning horned monster-heads around development, for example the spire often consisted of thirteen layers
the shoulder, all resting on a square stepped base enamelled with to symbolise the thirteen stages of enlightenment.
lappets, the long tapering neck with bands of gilt bronze containing The Qianlong reign saw increased levels of contact between the
lotus blossoms each flanked by two leaves rising to the flaring rim Imperial court and the Buddhist centres in the far-flung corners
decorated with floral scrolls. of the empire such as Tibet and Mongolia, as the Manchu court
38.8cm (17¼in) high reached the greatest geographical extent of its political, military
£25,000 - 40,000 and economic influence. The Qianlong Emperor himself took a
HK$310,000 - 500,000 CNY250,000 - 390,000 personal interest in the religion, and his reign therefore saw the
十八世紀 掐絲琺瑯纏枝蓮紋佛塔 creation of many Buddhist-influenced artefacts. See for example a
related cloisonné enamel stupa, dated to the 18th century, in the
Pierre Uldry Collection illustrated by H.Brinker and A.Lutz, Chinese
Cloisonné: The Pierre Uldry Collection, London, 1989, pl.279. It is
also interesting to note the very large stupa, apparently of cloisonné,
which is the central feature in an engraving from Mond Illustré,
ca.1861-70, depicting the Exposition at the Tuileries in February
1861 of Chinese objects from the army’s expedition in China and
the Summer Palace, reproduced by B.Quette, Cloisonné: Chinese
Enamels from the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, New York, 2011,
p.196.

A cloisonne enamel stupa, second half 18th
century, the Pierre Uldry Collection; image
courtesy of the Rietberg Museum, Zurich

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