Plate with Isle of the Immortals
Unknown Artist
1723–35
Medium
porcelain decorated in underglaze cobalt blue and overglaze enamels
Dimensions
diam. 21.2 cm
Classification
Ceramic
Department
Chinese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
The Fanny Tewksbury King Collection
Accession Number
1956.709
About this artwork
This multicolored dish is decorated with the sacred isle, also seen on the exterior of the blue-and-white dish nearby. A pavilion emerges amid rising and falling waves, a symbol of constant transformation and change. Above the waves are mysterious clouds, symbolizing the cosmic vital energy (qi) that animates all things and beings on earth in Daoism. The interior of the dish also shows cranes carrying sticks in their beaks, a motif that symbolizes longevity. Cranes carrying sticks above a pavili...