Lidded Palace-Style Vase

This large and colorful vase is covered with Chinese symbols that were exclusive to the emperor and the imperial family. The dominant color of the vase is yellow, the imperial color, and nine imperial five-clawed dragons (long 龍) fly in a sky filled with auspicious clouds or swim in a turbulent cosmic ocean.

The nine dragons arise from Chinese yin-yang numerology: even numbers are yin and odd numbers yang. Nine was considered the highest yang number, and applied to the highest yang person, the emperor. The dragons also chase flaming pearls, understood variably to represent wisdom, the moon, or the yin essence, required to complement the dragon’s yang nature.

Cloisonné is a complex decorative technique that involves creating outlines of images with gold or silver wire. Next, the outlined spaces are filled in with vitreous enamel, a kind of glass paste that can be colored, which is then fired in a kiln, like ceramics. Large vases of this type often came in pairs, and were used to decorate palace halls, although this one may have been made for the art market.