A rare and exquisite finely carved imperial spinach-green jade ‘wufu wudai tang’ book Qing Dynasty - Buddhism Prayer Book

The book comprises eight rectangular gilt Jade plaques - 16 Pages

Very Rare!

•          Eight genuine spinach-green Jade tablets, engraved in gold on both sides
•          Goddess Guanyin (with a thousand hands) to first tablet, Seals on back
•          Last tablet incised and painted ingilt with the nine-character title, yu zhi shi quan lao ren zhi bao shuo
           between a pair of descending dragons above waves
•          Inscriptions written in lishu – eleven lines with five characters per line
•          Grey silk over boards
•          Fine display piece
•          Buddhism prayer

BACKGROUND:

Guanyin or Guan Yin is an East Asian bodhisattva associated with compassion and venerated by Mahayana Buddhists and followers of Chinese folk religions, also known as the "Goddess of Mercy" in English. The Chinese name Guanyin, short for Guanshiyin, means "The One Who Perceives the Sounds of the World".

This book records a Buddhist text given to the Qianlong emperor by a Panchen Lama from Tibet. The calligraphy was written by the court official Liang Guozhi (1723–1774) then engraved into the jade pages and painted gold. A number of jade books were made during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (1711–1799).

Since the earliest antiquity, jade enjoys special consideration in China. They (jade artifacts) were insignia of the supreme power, scepters or sacrificial vessels, and was used in the funeral rites to protect the bodies from putrefaction. For the Confucians it is the symbol of the five cardinal virtues: goodness, righteousness, wisdom, courage and purity while the Taoists consume it reduced to powder to try to attain immortality. Whether it came from the West of China or from nearby countries, it was a product imported at great price or offered in tribute to the emperor by vassal kingdoms.

The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 1711 – 7 February 1799) was the sixth Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigned from 1735 to 1796. Born Hongli, the fourth son of the Yongzheng Emperor, he reigned officially from 11 October 1735 to 8 February 1796.

Note: Jade books were highly sumptuous items made only for the most important rituals or investitures of emperors. During the Qianlong period jade books were also made for the pleasure of the Qianlong Emperor, in part due to his fascination with jade. Some jade books are inscribed with Buddhist sutras and texts and have aloeswood covers. Jade panels are incised and gilt with the foshuo shi jixiang jing sutra.

Jade has always enjoyed special consideration in China as the insignia of the supreme power, sacred tools in ceremonies. The Confucians consider it the symbol of the five cardinal virtues: goodness, righteousness, wisdom, courage and purity while the while Taoists consumed it to try to attain immortality.

The text about the Bodhisattva Guanyin is associated with compassion and worshipped by Mahayana Buddhists and followers of Chinese folk religions, also known as the "Goddess of Mercy", meaning literally "The One Who Perceives the Sounds of the World", serves as a pretext for this rare work that unites the preciousness of the green jade with the austerity of the engraved stelae.

CONDITION:
Condition is Good+/Very Good. Some surface wear to boards/some tablets, loss of gold to 3 - 4 characters, otherwise very good!

Antique Old Jade Book Chinese / Tibet
Contains 8 Jade panels with 16 carved Buddhist texts.
Age: ca-1800
Region of Origin: China
Reproduced from the Original gift given to the Emperor.
Measurements (approx.): 9” x 6” x 2.25” thick

Binding: Hardcover; tight & secure