Hindustan Jade Bowl in Treasure Gallery of Forbidden City
This exquisite Hindustan Jade Bowl displayed in the Treasure Gallery of the Forbidden City was the favorite of Emperor Qianlong (1711- 1799). He only used it when drinking milk tea at grand imperial banquets.
The jade bowl is made of high-quality pure white Hetian Jade from Xinjiang. It is so thin and clear that it is translucent. The outside is set with gold wires forming patterns of floral branches and leaves and inlaid with 108 rubies to create the flowers. The gold and gems reflect each other on a white background, so beautiful and exquisite. On the inner side of the bowl a poem with a seal of “Bi De” by Emperor Qianlong is engraved. A clerical script stating “For the Use of Qianlong” is centered in the bottom.
Hindustan Jade was named by Emperor Qianlong. Hindustan refers to the areas from today’s northern India to Afghanistan and Turkey during the Qing Dynasty (1636 - 1912), where jade carving has a long history, noted for its excellence of craftsmanship and obvious Islamic style. The Hindustan jade craftsman likes to carve pure jade, especially the transparent and crystal white jade and light greenish white jade. The local people believe that jade utensils can protect them from poisoning, so they make jade food utensils including bowls, cups, dishes, plates, and pots. The decoration of Hindustan Jade has local cultural characteristics. Some are inlaid with gold, silver filaments, colored gemstones or glass and decorated with flowers and leaves, such as acanthus, passionflower and clematis. In addition to these decorative techniques, Hindustan Jade also uses a special technology to render the jade translucent or even transparent and thin. So, you can not only see the color of whatever is in the utensil, but also see the various outer patterns from within it. The Hindustan jade utensils can even float on water.
Emperor Qianlong received some of these Hindustan jade carvings as tribute because of war. He highly praised and liked these objects so; he bade the royal craftsmen to create similar jadeite. At that time, also he may have invited jade carvers from Hindustan to teach the royal craftsmen. Chinese jade carvers absorbed the advantages of Hindustan jade carvings including the unique shapes, smooth patterns and thin carcass. By combining these styles with the traditional methods of Chinese jade carving to create a unique form of jade carving, the Chinese style of Hindustan Jade came into being in the Forbidden City.
The jade used to make the fine Hindustan carvings requires a pure color, fine texture and large size. Moreover, the production process is complex and extremely difficult. A small mistake may cause the entire piece of jade to be scrapped. Even if the manufacturing technology was very mature in the regime of Emperor Qianlong, the volume of production was exceedingly small. In the later years of his rule Emperor Qianlong decreed an end to making Hindustan Jade due to the excessive consumption of raw materials. Therefore, there are few Hindustan jade works to be seen today, and each one is precious.
Further Reading:
Chinese Jade
The jade bowl is made of high-quality pure white Hetian Jade from Xinjiang. It is so thin and clear that it is translucent. The outside is set with gold wires forming patterns of floral branches and leaves and inlaid with 108 rubies to create the flowers. The gold and gems reflect each other on a white background, so beautiful and exquisite. On the inner side of the bowl a poem with a seal of “Bi De” by Emperor Qianlong is engraved. A clerical script stating “For the Use of Qianlong” is centered in the bottom.
What is Hindustan Jade?
Hindustan Jade was named by Emperor Qianlong. Hindustan refers to the areas from today’s northern India to Afghanistan and Turkey during the Qing Dynasty (1636 - 1912), where jade carving has a long history, noted for its excellence of craftsmanship and obvious Islamic style. The Hindustan jade craftsman likes to carve pure jade, especially the transparent and crystal white jade and light greenish white jade. The local people believe that jade utensils can protect them from poisoning, so they make jade food utensils including bowls, cups, dishes, plates, and pots. The decoration of Hindustan Jade has local cultural characteristics. Some are inlaid with gold, silver filaments, colored gemstones or glass and decorated with flowers and leaves, such as acanthus, passionflower and clematis. In addition to these decorative techniques, Hindustan Jade also uses a special technology to render the jade translucent or even transparent and thin. So, you can not only see the color of whatever is in the utensil, but also see the various outer patterns from within it. The Hindustan jade utensils can even float on water.
How did Hindustan Jade come to the Forbidden City?
Emperor Qianlong received some of these Hindustan jade carvings as tribute because of war. He highly praised and liked these objects so; he bade the royal craftsmen to create similar jadeite. At that time, also he may have invited jade carvers from Hindustan to teach the royal craftsmen. Chinese jade carvers absorbed the advantages of Hindustan jade carvings including the unique shapes, smooth patterns and thin carcass. By combining these styles with the traditional methods of Chinese jade carving to create a unique form of jade carving, the Chinese style of Hindustan Jade came into being in the Forbidden City.
Hindustan jade carvings are very precious nowadays.
The jade used to make the fine Hindustan carvings requires a pure color, fine texture and large size. Moreover, the production process is complex and extremely difficult. A small mistake may cause the entire piece of jade to be scrapped. Even if the manufacturing technology was very mature in the regime of Emperor Qianlong, the volume of production was exceedingly small. In the later years of his rule Emperor Qianlong decreed an end to making Hindustan Jade due to the excessive consumption of raw materials. Therefore, there are few Hindustan jade works to be seen today, and each one is precious.
Further Reading:Chinese Jade
- Last updated on Aug. 16, 2024 by Gabby Li -