Period:Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Jiajing period (1522–66)
Date:1522–1566
Culture:China
Medium:Carved red lacquer
Dimensions:H. 2 in. (5.1 cm); Diam. 14 1/2 in. (36.8 cm)
Classification:Lacquer
Credit Line:Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 2015
Accession Number:2015.500.1.39
This tray is one of the finest products of the official workshops of the Jiajing era. It was probably made in the early part of the reign before Daoist imagery began to dominate at court. The dragon in the center holds up the Chinese character sheng, which means “ divine ” or “ imperial majesty. ” The characters above it (fu on the right and bi on the left) generally signify “ to add ” or “ to support. ” While they can be used to refer to the emperor ’ s chief ministers, in this case they may refer to the dragon, a well-known symbol of imperial authority.