Tray with Pair of Dragons
Not on view
Historical records indicate that sets of thirty trays with matching basins were sent from the Kingdom of Ryūkyū to the Qing court in Beijing at least three times during the eighteenth century; many large trays that probably belonged to these sets remain in collections in China and Taiwan. The dragons chasing a pearl at center have five-clawed feet, indicating that they are imperial symbols. Rendered with thin pieces of mother-of-pearl chosen for their bright colors, the dragons feature heads disjointed from the rest of their bodies, a characteristic of Ryūkyū lacquer.
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