A PAIR OF GILT-LACQUERED WOOD ALTAR EMBLEM STANDS, QING DYNASTYChina, 18th-19th century. Each supported on a domed lotus-petaled base bordered with lappet bands, the scrolled openwork standard rising to a large lotus pod enclosed by layered petals, the body lacquered in a thick layer of gilt. (2)Provenance: Collection of Frederick W. Hinke, and thence by descent in the same family. Frederick William Hinke (1900-1960) was an American diplomat and the son of Dr. William John Hinke, a prominent scholar and close friend of many of Washington D.C.’s politicians, including the well-known Dulles family. Frederick Hinke became politically active and served as U.S. Vice Consul from 1926-1929 and as U.S. Consul in Guangdong Province, China in 1932, before moving to Tianjin in 1938. His work allowed him to build a collection of Chinese works of art which was kept in the family for around 70 years before it first entered the art market.Condition: Some old wear, chips, light scratches, few losses here and there, expected age cracks, flaking to the lacquer, one stand with losses to the scroll-form supports.Weight: 1,486 g and 1,488 gDimensions: Height 36.3 cm and 35.9 cmEmblem stands such as the present pair are usually found in Buddhist altars where they are used as bases to hold the Seven Emblems of Imperial Power (qizhengbao), which according to the Buddhist Sutra, are the accessories of the universal monarch, the Chakravartin. The Seven Emblems represent the different abilities or aides that a king must possess in order to stay in power and can be symbolically offered to the Buddha. The Seven Emblems include the Precious Wheel, the Precious Jewel, the Precious Queen, the Precious Minister, the Precious General, the Precious Elephant and the Precious Horse. For a related gilt-lacquered wood ceremonial vessel, see lot 284 in this catalog.Closely related sets of gilt-lacquered wood emblem stands are in situ in various halls of the Yonghegong Lama temple in Beijing. It was built in 1694 on the site where originally stood an official residence for court eunuchs of the Ming dynasty, and converted into the residence of Prince Yong, who would later be the Yongzheng Emperor. In 1711, Hongli, the fourth son of Yongzheng, the future Qianlong Emperor, was born in the East Academy of the building. In 1744, the Qianlong Emperor issued an edict converting the Palace of Peace and Harmony into a lamasery. Subsequently, the monastery became a residence for large numbers of Tibetan Buddhist monks from Mongolia and Tibet, and so the Yonghe Lamasery became the national center of Lama administration. Since 1792, with the foundation of the Golden Urn, the Yonghe Temple also became a place for the Manchu government to exert control over the Tibetan and Mongolian Lama reincarnations.Auction resultparison:Type: RelatedAuction: San Francisco, 29 June 2016, lot 9282Price: USD 18,750 or approx.