Page 40 - Christie's Hong Kong May 31, 2017 Important Chinese Ceramics and Art

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AN EXTREMELY RARE CARVED YELLOW AND

RED LACQUER ‘DRAGON’ DISH

WANLI PERIOD (1573-1619)

The shallow dish is superbly carved on the interior through the
gold-flecked brownish-yellow outer layer to the red ground
with a large central medallion depicting two powerful dragons,
one ascending, one descending amidst clouds on either side of a
flaming pearl. The dragons’ scales are finely detailed contouring
their bodies, and they are depicted above turbulent waves breaking
against jagged rocks emerging from the sea, all against undulating
sea diaper and geometric sky diaper, contained within a lobed
quatrefoil border surrounded by peony sprays. The cavetto is
deeply carved with four shaped panels, each enclosing three lotus
blooms, separated by beribboned lozenges containing wan symbols.
The exterior is similarly carved with continuous, dense flowering
lotus meander. The base is lacquered red. Some of the digits on the
claws of the dragons were later removed.
8 √ in. (22.3 cm.) diam. Japanese wood box

HK$1,500,000-2,500,000 US$200,000-320,000

PROVENANCE

A Japanese private collection, acquired in the 1970s

The Japanese wood box is inscribed with two names, Kyogetsu-an and
Shohu-an, which appear to be pseudonyms for tea ceremony masters
during the Edo period (1603-1867).

明萬曆 剔黃雙龍搶珠紋圓盤

來源
日本私人珍藏，入藏於1970年代

據蓋內銘文所示，此盤曾為處月菴及松風菴舊藏。其二者應為江戶時期
茶人之別號。

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