A cloisonné enamel 'double-vajra' box and cover, Ming dynasty, 16th century | 明十六世紀 掐絲琺瑯金剛杵紋蓋盒

Jan van Beers Oriental Art, London, 4th October 2007.

Jan van Beers Oriental Art，倫敦，2007年10月4日

This cloisonné enamel box and cover is notable for the double-vajra depicted at the centre. This motif symbolises the foundation of the universe of mount Meru, representing the principle of absolute stability, characterized by the solidity of the Mother Earth element. This ornament indicates the box may have been commissioned to be used in ritual practices within the Ming imperial court. Compare a closely related example, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, accession no. 29.110.90a.

Vajra patterns are frequently depicted in cloisonné pieces, see, for example, a bowl with double vajra patterns to the interior, in the Pierre Uldry Collection, exhibited in Chinesisches Cloisonné Die Sammlung Pierre Uldry, Rietberg Museum, Zurich, 1985, cat. no. 88; a small lobed dish, sold at Christie's Paris, 12th December 2019, lot 91; and a flask decorated with a vajra on the body, included in the exhibition Cloisonné. Chinese Enamels from the Yuan Ming and Qing Dynasties, Bard Graduate Center, New York, 2011, cat. no. 53.