Qing Imperial Palace Mental Cultivation Hall: Vessel

CHINA, Beijing; Qing dynasty

This vessel was kept in Mental Cultivation Hall of the Qing Imperial Palace. It was a gift to Lobsang Palden Yeshe, the Sixth Panchen Lama, from Emperor Qianlong (reigned 1736–1795) in 1780. Standing on a Sumeru base, the ovoid vessel is decorated with enamel in a red design on a dark green background. The base, body, and lid have floral designs in red with gilt stems and leaves. The five-petal flowers are embedded with red garnets, and there are gilt patterns in between the main motifs. The base has gilt lotus petals, and the lid has a lotus bud knob embedded with red garnets supported by a disc.
There is a small container within the vessel with an inscription in Chinese, Mongolian, Manchu, and Tibetan explaining its origin.