Chinese Ming Dynasty Buddha Tile (c.1694 or earlier)

This original Ming Dynasty ceramic or stoneware tile with a figure of a seated Buddha measures about 6 3/4 x 9 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches.

It is in very good condition with minor losses to the glaze in a few areas along with a few small rim chips.

Stylistically, it has more in common with Song Dynasty ceramics, but most likely it dates to the Ming Dynasty. This architectural tile appears to have been designed to be mounted in the wall of a shrine or temple and has a pattern of large shaped dovetails on the reverse for that purpose (see enlargement photo).

This museum quality piece consists of very dense stoneware covered with colored glazes in turquoise, aubergine and yellow.

This Buddha tile dates from the Ming Dynasty to possibly the very early portion of the Ching Dynasty. There are examples of ancient Chinese temples with rows of buddha tiles like this one only of much more recent vintage.  This may have been salvaged from an old temple restoration or from a temple no longer in existence. _________________________________________________________________

A Few Facts:

The YongHeGong Temple was begun in 1694 during thr Qing Dynasty.

It served as an official residence for court eunuchs.  

It was converted into the court of Prince YongZheng ( Yin Zhen) , a son of the Emperor KangXi.

After YongZheng became emperor in 1722, half of the building was converted into a lamasery, a monastery for monks of Tibetan Buddhism, while the other half remained an imperial palace.

After YongZheng's death in 1735, the new emperor, Qianlong gave the temple imperial status, partially by removing all of the old turquoise tiles and replacing them with imperial yellow ones.

It is possible that this turquoise Buddha tile may be a remnant of that change.

We can't document it yet, but it is a serious possibility.  If so, this tile would date to about 1694, when the temple was built---or possibly earlier.

Additionally, there is the Yong'An Temple in Beihei Park in Beijing, which was first built in 1651 and massively restored in 1993.  It has a wall of 445 buddha tiles of similar style, but of much later manufacture (probably late 20th century-when it was restored) (See the last photograph). This temple may have also have had tiles similar to the one we are offering prior to it's destruction and restoration.

All of this is, of course, only speculation, but speculation based on observable and documented facts.

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