Offering Instruments with the Seven Treasures of the Cakravartin

CHINA; Qing dynasty

Each offering instrument from this set features a royal treasure atop a white jade platform decorated with clouds. Beneath, there is a gilt Sumeru lotus pedestal which is supported by a circular pillar erected on an octagonal Sumeru base made of copper alloy and inlaid with silver. The upper part of the base is enclosed by a balustrade and is decorated with scepter, lotus petal, and key patterns.
On top of each pillar, there is a different carved figure. An elephant in one example has a coiled trunk with a vase on its back, while another has a horse with a beautiful mane and a tail that extends to the ground. A queen is depicted wearing a long, fluttering robe decorated with a cloud pattern as she sits with palms joined. A minister has a square forehead and is shown crouching. With a raised sword in his right hand and an oval shield in the left, a kneeling general appears wrathful on another instrument. The last one shows a round Dharma wheel surrounded by a flame motif.