A Chinese porcelain wucai basin, Wanli mark, 18th century, painted to the central reserve...

A Chinese porcelain wucai basin, Wanli mark, 18th century, painted to the central reserve with a five-clawed dragon amidst clouds and flames, and to the rim with the Eight Buddhist Emblems, underglaze blue six-character mark to recessed base, 40cm diameter

Notes: One of the defining styles of the Wanli era (1573-1620) is wucai 五彩 (five colours), which combines underglaze blue and overglaze enamels to create vibrant, striking decorations. The technique began in the Jiajing era (1522-1566), before reaching its peak during the Wanli, and are regarded as belonging to most sumptuous group of wares of the Ming Dynasty. After a decline in the porcelain industry at the end of the Ming dynasty, the Qing dynasty saw a resurgence in quality, with new forms combining with earlier innovations, as seen on the present basin.

A particularly powerful symbol that has a profound influence even to this day, the dragon was often used as a symbol of imperial power in China; from at least the 14th century, five-clawed dragons were used in ceramics and the decorative arts to represent the emperor. A symbol of imperial authority and strength, the dragon is used as a way of expressing accomplishment and excellence, for instance the phrase 朢子成龍 (hoping ones son will become a dragon) is just one of many Chinese proverbs and idioms that refers to the dragon as an aspirational symbol.

The Eight Auspicious Symbols 八吉祥 that are found on the rim of the basin first appear on Chinese porcelain made during the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368), and consist of the wheel of the dharma, conch shell, victory banner, parasol, lotus flower, treasure vase, fish pair and the endless knot. The symbols are found in this order during the early Qing dynasty, and each emblem is rich with symbolic meaning. For example, the lotus flower 荷花 symbolises faithfulness, fertility and purity, due to the fact its blossoms emerge pure and beautiful out of muddy waters. The treasure vase 罐 represents endless treasure and wealth, and the parasol 蓋 signifies spiritual authority.