Altar ornament; China, Qing dynasty, c.1800.

Altar ornament; China, Qing dynasty, c.1800.
Cloisonné enameled bronze.
It presents losses in the enamel.
Measurements. 19 x 10 x 10 cm.
Altar ornament, made in enameled bronze using the cloisonné technique, is a representative manifestation of the technical refinement and the deep symbolic load of Chinese ritual art during the Qing dynasty. The piece takes the form of a lotus flower in full opening, whose petals, richly modeled and decorated with translucent enamels in shades of pink, green and blue, open in successive layers to reveal a central core crowned by a flame-shaped emblem with an inlaid gem.
The lotus, symbol of spiritual purity and rebirth, is one of the most recurrent motifs in the religious art of Buddhism and Taoism, associated with enlightenment and the emergence of wisdom from the mire of mundane existence. In the context of an altar, this metallic and enameled flower embodied not only the aesthetic devotion but also the spiritual aspiration of the offerer.
The use of cloisonné, an enameling technique that involves applying thin strips of metal to outline the contours of the design and filling them with colored enamel, reached an unprecedented level of virtuosity during the Qing period. The surfaces are covered here with complex floral motifs and scrolls on a turquoise blue background, in a harmonious balance between the geometric rigor of the metal and the painterly delicacy of the color.