Eight cranes on a begonia-shaped tray

During the middle of the Qing dynasty, court patronage of the arts again flourished and expanded to lacquer, bamboo, and other materials. Objects often bore symbols of harmony, prosperity, and longevity, as a means of reaffirming the legitimacy of the emperor and attracting blessings to the court. This plate features the image of a terraced platform in the ocean where cranes find residence, a motif representing the isle of the immortals where the emperor would like to visit. In addition to the reign mark on the base, a title mark describes the piece as a “begonia-shaped immortal’s plate” (haitang xianpan), confirming the symbolic implication and shape of this dish; the description of such information in a title inscription became a standard practice adopted by the imperial workshop at the Qianlong court.