Note: The decoration seen on this exceptional pair of massive vases is laden with auspicious meaning. Firstly, the dragon, in particular the five-clawed dragon, is a symbol of imperial power. The number of dragons, eight (ba), is an auspicious number, as it rhymes with the Chinese word for ‘expand’ (fa), which is often used in conjunction with the characters facai, meaning 'to expand in wealth'. The clouds between the dragons provide a rebus for good fortune, as they are shaped like lingzhi fungus and thus suggest a wish for long life.

The decorative scheme of dragons in different writhing poses, centered around a forward-facing dragon, can be seen on other vases of Qing date, such as the green and yellow-glazed meiping and cover dated to the Qianlong period, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - Miscellaneous Enamelled Porcelains, Plain Tricoloured Porcelains, Hong Kong, 2009, pp. 126-29, no. 104, and the pair of doucai vases (tianqiuping) decorated with nine dragons, each rendered in a different color, sold at Christie’s New York, 22 March 2019, lot 1815.