Qing Imperial Palace: Stupa

CHINA, Beijing; Qing dynasty

This Tibetan stupa is 231 cm high with a width at the base of 94 cm. The lower portion of the two-layer base is made of carved red rosewood with lotus petal designs, and the upper is in the form of Mount Sumeru decorated with multi-color designs of lotus petals, winding lotus stalk patterns, and a tortoiseshell pattern. The concave section has a purple glaze background decorated with winding lotus stalk designs. On each side, there are two panels with double vajras in between. Within each panel are cloud patterns and a lion.
On top of the base, there are three stepped rings with Sanskrit seed syllables in dark blue. The stupa is shaped as an inverted bowl and is completely covered with floral patterns. A golden statuette of a Bodhisattva with three faces and eight arms is enshrined within a niche at the center of the body. Above, there are a double harmika, thirteen stacked rings, a canopy, an upright lotus, a horizontal crescent moon and sun, and a jewel.