A rare Chinese white jade vajra

A rare Chinese white jade vajra, 18th / 19th century. With eight prongs issuing from stylized mythical creatures, joined by a baluster knop, faintly incised with a four character Qianlong mark, which may be a later addition, traces of gilding around the centre, 10.5cm. The thunderbolt, or vajra is a Buddhist ceremonial mace and symbol, usually interpreted as a diamond or thunderbolt. One of the five central Buddhist principles, the vajra represents indestructible substance that cuts and penetrates through emotional instability or uncertainty. It is the male aspect of wisdom and supreme knowledge, and combined with the bell or ghanta, they form the most important symbols in Tibetan Buddhism. Together they represent the perfect union of wisdom and compassion, the two principles necessary for attaining enlightenment. Other ritual objects include the dagger or phurba, skull-cup, and thigh-bone trumpet. An almost identical white jade vajra in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, No.42, Jadeware (III), p.134, no. 112. Another of a slightly different design, in the collection of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, is illustrated in Treasures from Snow Mountains, Gems of Tibetan Cultural Relics, by Chen Xiejun, & Wang Qingzheng, p.131, no.51, Shanghai Museum.