Minneapolis Institute of Art

Set of four bowls and two cups

China

Date

1790

Medium

Cloisonné

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

This set of six objects is part of a large number of cloisonné dishes, bowls, and cups produced for the celebration of the Qianlong Emperor’s 80th birthday in 1790. Each of these heavily gilded bowls and cups is decorated with four medallions, each containing a stylized character which in combination read wanshou wujiang , meaning long life without end. On the bottom of each vessel is carved another four-character inscription, an imperial mark that reads zisun yongbao , may sons and grandsons forever treasure”. Qianlong himself was involved in the design of the ornaments and the inscription. He wanted the bao (“to treasure”) character – the lower left of the four characters in the inscription - to pictorially combine several other characters appropriate for the auspicious occasion, including “emperor” and “80”. The upward-facing arc at the bottom of the character indicates an old form of Chinese gold currency, implying wealth. The ornaments on the bowls depict stylized scrolling lotus flowers, branches, and leaves. These were extremely auspicious motifs, implying the continuation of the imperial lineage. China, Asia

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