Ruyi Cloud and Big Dipper Taoist Plaque

A pale cloud-shaped border surrounds a central inscription on one face of this brown plaque. On the reverse, linked points mark the Big Dipper above a yin-yang disk and trigram lines. The handheld photograph shows the front face; the close view lets you inspect the lines without enlarging the design.

Sold individually.

The eight trigrams are arrangements of broken and unbroken lines. In a Taoist setting, the bagua can be chosen as a protective emblem for a household; the arrangement of the lines also gives the design its distinctive rhythm.

For display, decide which face you want to read from a little distance. Deep relief and narrow incised lines catch side light differently; leave room around the outline rather than pressing the face against another object.

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