Page 14 - Christie's, Important Chinese Works of Art, Hong Kong Dec 3 2021

THE PROPERTY OF AN ASIAN COLLECTOR
亞洲私人珍藏
2909
A PAIR OF FAMILLE ROSE TIBETAN-STYLE
ALTAR VASES, BENBAPING
QIANLONG SIX-CHARACTER SEAL MARKS IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE AND
OF THE PERIOD (1736-1795)
Each globular body is finely decorated with chilong and lotus heads
amongst leafy tendrils framed by a band of stylised lappets above
the foot and a ruyi-head band to the shoulder. The moulded neck is
decorated with slim petals imitating a Tibetan banner, surmounted by
a drum-shaped top decorated with further scrolling lotus.
10Ω in. (26.7 cm.) high (2)
HK$2,500,000-3,500,000 US$320,000-460,000
PROVENANCE
Sold at Sotheby’s New York, 23-24 March 1998, lot 637
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.

清乾隆 粉彩夔龍蓮花紋賁巴瓶一對 六字篆書款

來源
紐約蘇富比，1998年3月23至24日，拍品637號

(marks)

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