QIANLONG INCISED FOUR-CHARACTER MARK AND OF THE PERIOD (1736-1795)

The vajra together with the ghanta, were important Buddhist ritual implements which were held in the left and right hands respectively to make elaborate ritual movements and they are also attributes of Buddhist deities. Both are usually made of bronze where jade examples are far rarer. An example of a similar jade vajra but of a smaller size is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 42 - Jadeware (III), Hong Kong, 1995, pp. 134-35, no. 112 (fig. 1), also dated to the Qianlong period. Compare to a Qianlong-marked jade ghanta formerly in the same North American collection sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 29 May 2019, lot 3033 (fig. 2).