Blue and White Temple Vase, China, Jiajing period (1522-1566). Photo courtesy Vanderven Oriental Art.

Height: 82 cm. Price on request

The vase is decorated around the neck in underglaze blue with Tibetan Sanskrit characters in a Chinese calligraphic style.

The large central character represents the Buddhist invocation ‘Om’. This is the first character of a mantra - a chanted sound to promote concentration in prayer. The entire mantra - Om Mani Padme Hum – is from Tibetan Buddhism and calls on the goddess Mahāvidyā.

The shape and decoration on this vase suggest that it was made for ritual use in a temple.

Provenance: private collection, Savoie, France

Vanderven Oriental Art. MasterArt at TEFAF 2014 on stand 814. 14-23 march 2014 - http://www.masterart.com/