119.
A PAIR OF ‘BLUE AND WHITE’ ‘LANÇA CHARACTERS’ BOWLS
Qing dynasty, Yongzheng mark and of the period
6,4 x 15,3 cm each
Da Qing Yongzheng nianzhi six-character mark.
Provenance: Naples, Villa della Floridiana, Museo Duca di Martina, Placido de Sangro (1829-1891) collection.
inv. nn. 3476, 3491.
The character with appears in bigger size to the centre of the interior, displayed in smaller dimension in five parallel rows on the exterior of both the bowls, is the sacred syllable OṂ of the Lança script, the system of writing used in Tibet for Buddhist texts. It was later adopted in China, especially in those historical periods when the emperors firmly promoted Lamaism. Yongzheng, like his father Kangxi and his son Qianlong publicly supported Tibetan Buddhism, authorizing the erection of temples and protecting monks, furthermore commissioning works of art, porcelain included, inspired by that foreign doctrine.
