15.0 cm (height)
Lapis lazuli, with its deep celestial blue hue, has been treasured since ancient times. In Buddhism, it is regarded as one of the seven treasures and symbolizes divine authority. During Qing dynasty rituals of heavenly worship, emperors wore lapis lazuli prayer beads to align with heavenly virtue. This bowl, carved from a single piece of lapis lazuli, exhibits a striking blue color with subtle inclusions of pale golden pyrite and white calcite. Its form is grand and solid, featuring a slightly constricted mouth, broad shoulders, sloping walls, and a rounded base. With a restrained yet imposing aesthetic, this vessel demonstrates remarkable craftsmanship and material selection. Traditionally, bo (literally “bowl”) was used as a monk’s alms bowl. According to Buddhist lore, when Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, the celestial king presented him with a bowl. Inside this particular lapis lazuli bowl, the symbol “Design of Gathering Ten Powerful Elements” is engraved, representing the boundless and harmonious Universe in ten directions and three ages and signifying auspiciousness and spiritual fulfillment.
The exterior of the alms bowl is inscribed with an imperial poem composed by Emperor Qianlong in four different languages—Manchu, Chinese, Mongolian, and Tibetan—concluding with the year “1759.” The bowl is accompanied by a custom-made Qing court wooden case, cylindrical in shape and featuring a gold-painted brocade ground with tortoiseshell patterns. Each of its four sides is decorated with quatrefoil-shaped panels containing interlocked coin motifs. The interior is lined with red silk adorned with subtle cloud patterns, while the inside of the lid is covered with white silk bearing ink inscriptions in the aforementioned four languages. These inscriptions document that the alms bowl was obtained during the Qing conquest of Dzungaria in 1755 and indicate its origins in Tibet.
Dzungar people, a Mongolian tribe that believes in Tibetan Buddhism, rose to prominence in the 17th century, establishing an empire centered in Ili, Central Asia. As the Dzungar people expanded eastward in an attempt to unify Mongolia, they clashed with the Qing dynasty in a prolonged conflict lasting nearly seventy years (1690–1758). Their leader, Tsewang Rabtan (reigned 1698–1727), once occupied Lhasa, ruling Tibet for three years (1717–1720), and the alms bowl may have been acquired during this period. In 1755, the Qing army launched an offensive against Ili, decisively defeating the Dzungar people and capturing their leader, Dawachi (?–1759), who was subsequently sent to Beijing. In August 1759, Qing forces advanced into Kashgar, crushing the remaining Dzungar presence in the southern Tian Shan region, thereby securing full control over Xinjiang. This lapis lazuli alms bowl was a spoil of war following Qing’s victory in the Dzungar–Qing Wars. The imperial poem inscribed on it was composed four years later, coinciding with the final campaign that secured Xinjiang for the Qing empire. As such, the alms bowl is of significant historical and cultural importance, symbolizing the Qing dynasty’s triumph and consolidation of power.