A VERY RARE CARVED ZITAN 'BUTTER LAMP'

17th century

Footnotes

十七世紀 紫檀雕蓮花酥油燈

The present lot is inspired by Tibetan-style metal butter lamps, which hold significant ritual importance in Buddhist practice. The offering of light to enlightened beings is a central act of devotion, and such lamps were traditionally placed before sacred images on altars for this purpose. In Tibet, pilgrims frequently offer butter to fuel these lamps, a practice deeply rooted in spiritual tradition. Similar gilt-silver offering lamps are illustrated by M.Rhie and R.Thurman in A Shrine for Tibet, New York, 2009, pp.244–245, no.VI-11. Additionally, a related cloisonné enamel butter lamp, bearing the Qianlong mark and of the period, is in the Qing Court Collection and illustrated in Enamel Ware in the Ming and Ching Dynasties, Taipei, 1999, p.161, pl.74.

Buddhist-inspired incense burners and stem bowls of this form, often adorned with lotus and wave motifs, can be traced back to the Yuan dynasty. A notable example is a white-glazed, waisted tripod stand with relief-carved lotus petals, attributed to the Yongle reign, illustrated in Yuan and Ming Imperial Porcelains Unearthed from Jingdezhen, Beijing, 1999, p.156, no.106.

Through the early Qing period and into the 18th century, this form and its associated motifs were adapted in various artistic expressions. For instance, a blue and white tazza, decorated with dragons emerging from waves encircling the stem and bearing the Kangxi reign mark, is documented in Illustrated Catalogue of Ch'ing Dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, vol.1, 1980, pl.15. In contrast, the present lot features finely carved bats beneath the rim, accentuating the lotus petal design.

While examples in zitan remain exceedingly rare, incense burners crafted from bamboo are known, and cinnabar lacquer stem bowls with lotus motifs and Buddhist emblems were produced during the Qianlong period. See for example one illustrated in Carved Lacquerware in the Palace Museum, Beijing, 1985, pl.338.