Jar with eight dragons

Aside from the eight Buddhist symbols, more ordinary elements were also represented in groups of eight, symbolically connotating auspicious luck. A combination of dragons with those symbols was one of the imperial decorative styles of the period. On this piece, eight lobed divisions embrace eight five-clawed dragons in different poses amid curling clouds and flaming pearls. In eight panels on the shoulder were placed the ordinary Eight Auspicious Symbols. A band of lotus panels circles the base.