Famen Temple Pagoda: Vessel

CHINA, Shaanxi, Baoji; Tang dynasty

This ritual vessel is one of four such vessels that stood at each corner of the rear chamber of the underground palace. It is an instrument for making offerings during an Vajrayana Buddhist ceremony. According to a stele also found in the underground palace, the vessels were offered by Master Zhihuilun of Daxingshan Temple.
This ritual vessel has a round body, a round stemmed foot, and a short neck that opens up into a wide mouth with a rim. It has an elegantly curved spout. Where the shoulder meets the neck, there is a ruyi pattern. The middle of the body has four sets of double vajras with three prongs, which are surrounded by a lotus pattern and connected by two embossed lines. The bottom of the vessel has eight upright lotus petals, alternating with three-prong vajras. The base is decorated with lotus leaves and three-prong vajras.