A precious Buddhist relic originating from China’s Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368 AD), this sacred object takes the form of a Buddhist stupa adorned with entwined scrolling lotus motifs.

A precious Buddhist relic originating from China’s Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD), this sacred stupa is made of gilt bronze and was created to enshrine a finger bone relic of the Buddha.

A precious ancient funerary object originating from China’s Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD), this relic casket is adorned with four beasts and intricately carved dragon motifs. It possesses profound historical, cultural, and artistic value.

A precious ancient funerary object originating from China’s Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD), this silver coffin is adorned with a powerful dragon motif.

A precious religious relic originating from China’s Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD), this coffer features a distinctive melon-ribbed form.

This sacred object is structured as a gold coffin encased within a silver outer casket, created to contain the relics (śarīra) of Sakyamuni Buddha – typically holy bones or remains, venerated as sacred traces of the Buddha. The inner coffin is crafted from precious gold, while the outer casket is made of silver. This exquisite nested structure embodies reverence and devotion toward the Buddha, intended both to protect and to enshrine his sacred relics.

These sacred stupas typically possess distinctive visual characteristics. They take a pagoda-like form, crafted from precious bronze and finished with gilding, which lends their surface a radiant golden appearance. The design of the relic stupa often features a lotus motif, incorporating the shape of lotus petals—an iconography deeply connected to the symbolism of the lotus in Buddhism.

Relic caskets are typically containers used to enshrine Buddhist sacred relics (śarīra). They may take a variety of forms and bear diverse decorations, all serving to manifest the spiritual and cultural values of Buddhism.

In Buddhism, śarīra are the sacred remains of the Buddha – typically cremated bones or other relics – believed to possess divine power and profound significance. Buddhist devotees venerate these relics as holy objects and establish places of enshrinement within temples for their worship.

This is the most majestic and exquisitely beautiful example among all surviving relic-enshrining stupas of its kind. The entire piece is resplendent and dazzling, with well-proportioned, upright contours and a powerfully imposing form. The several large śarīra relics enshrined within make it all the more supremely sacred.

This wooden, gold-lacquered relic stupa follows the classic Han Chinese Buddhist pagoda form. It is radiant, exquisitely translucent, and crafted from choice materials. The square base is dignified and grand. Above it rises a ring of lotus petals, gracefully and generously spread.

In the center is a transparent square tower body, within which sits a smaller pagoda housing several precious śarīra relics. Above this rises a four-sided domed roof with upturned eaves supported by bracket sets (dougong). At the very top are thirteen tiers of jūlutú (a vertical spire representing the thirteen heavens of Buddhism), crowned with a maṇi jewel—towering and magnificent.

From the overall silhouette, one can imagine standing upon a height and gazing afar, capturing the scenery from all four directions. Each tier offers a different visual experience, creating unity within variety and enriching the interplay of spatial forms—a most ingenious design. All the fittings are original to the Qing Dynasty, making this piece exceptionally rare among similar relic-enshrining stupas. The overall form is grand and imposing, the carving meticulous, and the piece possesses profound religious and artistic value.

Scriptural Reference

The Buddhist sutras state that śarīra relics are cultivated and empowered through the Six Pāramitās (the perfections of Bodhisattva practice) and the virtues of morality, concentration, and wisdom. They are rare, precious, and deeply venerated. The Buddha’s corporeal relics and his dharmakāya (truth body) relics are regarded as equal. His bodily remains are seen as embodiments of the Buddha himself or of the Dharma. As the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says:

“To see the Tathāgata’s śarīra is to see the Buddha.”

And further:

“To offer homage to the śarīra is to venerate the Buddha jewel. To see the Buddha is to see the Dharmakāya.”

A Liao Dynasty jade coffin Buddha bone relic refers to a jade sarcophagus crafted during China’s Liao Dynasty (907–1125 AD), used as a container to enshrine śarīra of the Buddha or other Buddhist sacred objects.

The Dazhidu Lun (Great Treatise on the Perfection of Wisdom), Commentary, Chapter 31, dated to the 13th year of the Kaihuang reign (593 AD) of the Sui Dynasty, is now housed in the British Museum, London. The scribe was Li Sixian, a master of calligraphy in the Kaihuang period of the Sui Dynasty. His brushwork is mature, subtle, and precise, with a well-knit, square structure. The calligraphic style, while refined and meticulous, is also unrestrained and rhythmically powerful. (Three images shown in the middle.)

The Dazhi Lun, Chapter 30, held in the Tianjin Museum, bears a colophon at the end by Xu Jinsheng, which reads:

“Sui-dynasty calligraphy inwardly absorbs the vigorous and unyielding spirit of the Northern Qi and Zhou dynasties, and outwardly gathers the soft and graceful style of the Liang and Chen dynasties. It fuses the northern and southern traditions, uniting them into a single achievement. Thus it opens a unique path of its own, while preserving the ancient methods intact—something that cannot be compared even to the Tang dynasty calligraphers, who emphasized only structure. This scroll radiates a brilliant essence, its forceful energy penetrating directly through—truly a masterpiece among Sui calligraphy.”

Sui-dynasty Dunhuang sutra manuscripts that appear on the market are truly as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. A review of market records suggests that the probability of encountering a standard example that is “complete from beginning to end” and bears a specific reign date is perhaps as low as one percent. Dunhuang sutra manuscripts may well be one of the few remaining value depressions in today’s Chinese art market. Consider this: a Song-dynasty painting on the current market can easily fetch tens of millions of yuan or even effortlessly exceed a hundred million. Yet these treasures of art—older in date, bearing sublime calligraphic mastery and devout religious faith—the most exceptional among them achieved a market value of just over twenty million yuan (e.g., a Tang-dynasty sutra sold at Poly Auction for 20-some million). The dispersal of the artifacts from the Dunhuang library cave was nothing less than a catastrophe for civilization. Yet, it also enabled the magnificent culture of Dunhuang—which the late scholar Ji Xianlin called “the sole meeting point of the four great ancient civilizations”—to be revered by the entire world.

​Palm-leaf manuscripts containing Buddhist sutras (often referred to as palm-leaf scriptures or pattra leaves in English).

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