White conch shell with Indian lotus motif, Qianlong reign (1736-1795), Qing dynasty-China Archive

Image Number: C1D000040N000000000PAB
Dynasty: Qing dynasty
Category: Miscellaneous objects
Function: Ritual vessel
Material: Animals/shellfish/
Description:
White left-handed shells with seven layers, and the top two layers are additionally glued. The surface of the shell is covered with shallow relief patterns of twining lotus flowers, and the mouth is carved in shallow shade with official script: “Made by Emperor Qianlong.”. With copper and gold plated seat, it looks like a choppy sea. A hollow ancient coin pattern is decorated in the center of the seat bottom. The Qing Dynasty has always had a special preference for conch. The Nuzhen (Manchu) people introduced conch from the Mongols during the period outside the Shanhaiguan Pass. At that time, conch was widely used. Before the founding of the People’s Republic of China in the late Jin Dynasty, it was a primitive military command tool, used to command and inspire soldiers to charge, and psychologically deterred the enemy in the war; It is also an alarm and troop gathering tool. After the founding of the Later Jin Dynasty, conch entry was one of the honor guards of the state affairs and was also the “instrument of rites and music” at that time. After the conquest of the Central Plains, Conch gradually withdrew from the national war and political activities, but only as a military drill and emperor