1052 A large falangcai brush pot with rabbits of the Moon Palace

Item No.: 1052

Name: A large falangcai brush pot with rabbits of the Moon Palace
Period: Qing dynasty, Yongzheng reign
Rim diameter: 18.5 cm

The Chinese commentary links the imagery to the Yongzheng emperor’s interest in Daoist practices associated with longevity and immortality. It discusses the theory that his sudden death resulted from prolonged consumption of alchemical elixirs, while expressly acknowledging that there is no direct evidence for that explanation. The commentary interprets imperial enamel decoration as evidence of his interest in these beliefs.

In Daoist mythology, the Jade Rabbit kneels with a jade pestle to prepare an elixir of immortality, described in the commentary as “toad pills.” The Jade Rabbit of the moon and the Golden Crow of the sun also symbolize the balance of yin and yang in alchemical cultivation. The commentary relates this imagery to a black-ground enamel-on-copper snuff bottle in the National Palace Museum, Taipei.

On this brush pot, the mythical rabbits form a remarkably animated group. Sleeping, feeding, playing, or seemingly lost in thought, they combine lifelike movement with an otherworldly grace.