Minneapolis Institute of Art

Dish

China

Date

16th century

Medium

Glazed porcelain

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Emperor Jiajing was a devout Daoist and Daoist symbolism became a common decorative element during his reign. In Daoist mythology, dragons were symbolic of yang, the male principle, spring, rain, and the East. This small dish shows dragons cavorting amid clouds. A unique feature for Jiajing period is the use of huiqing or ‘Mohammedan blue, ’ a form of imported cobalt which is purplish-blue in color tone. However, this form of cobalt tended to smudge during the firing process. By mixing imported cobalt with cobalt was mined locally, potters were able to produce the bright blue seen here, while still maintaining the crisp quality of their painted designs. China, Asia

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