Qing Imperial Palace Ningshou Palace: Fanhua Pavilion Room 5

CHINA, Beijing; Qing dynasty

At the center of Room 5, there is a sunken floor with Tibetan Buddhist images. A painting of the Buddha Assembly hangs on the north wall, in front of which there is a 98-cm high table made of rosewood with nine Buddha statues on it.
The east and west walls are 196 cm high and 226 cm wide, and are lined with rosewood niches, drawers, and cupboards. The top section consists of 61 Buddha niches arranged in five rows. Altogether, there are 122 small Buddha statues. The central section has six rectangular drawers, each with symmetrical leaf patterns. Three sets of 72.8 cm high cupboards appear in the lower section. The door panels have relief carvings of the ocean, waves, and rocks. At the bottom, there is an inverted lotus from which a stem rises. Each door has four bronze hinges with bell-shaped handles.
The cupboards on the east wall store a cup, a flag, prayer beads, a trident, and a drum. Cymbals, a skull cup, flower garland, a sun disc, a moon disc, and a wish-fulfilling jewel are kept on the west wall. Other Dharma instruments and sutras originally placed in the cabinets have been removed.