During the reigns of the three Qing emperors Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong, Buddhism played a central role in religious and political activities. Huge fortunes were invested to construct Buddhist temples and monasteries in Beijing and across the empire, and to perform religious rituals to facilitate state affairs or to pray for the individual salvation of aristocrats and emperors at court.

Official porcelain vessels were specially commissioned for Buddhist altars. They were decorated with Buddhist symbols, and often enriched with Sanskrit, Tibetan and Mongolian inscriptions.

This saucer, finely painted in polychrome enamels and underglaze blue in the style known as doucai or 'contrasting colours', is decorated with the Eight Buddhist Emblems (ba ji xiang). These symbols, originally from India, were introduced into China in the early 14th century by Tibetan Buddhism, and they soon became a popular decorative and auspicious motif for porcelain, textiles and cloisonné objects. They include the wheel of Law (lun), the conch (luo), the emblem of victory (san), the parasol (gai), the lotus (hehua), the vase (guan), the twin fish (yu), and the endless knot (panchang), each associated to a blessing.