Page 376 - 2019 September 13th Christie's New York Important Chinese Works of Art

1137
A RARE PAIR OF MASSIVE FAMILLE ROSE ‘DRAGON’
VASES
GUANGXU-XUANTONG PERIOD (1875–1911)
Each vase has an elongated ovoid body decorated with fve dragons
surrounding a front-facing, gilt-decorated iron-red dragon, all
chasing faming pearls amidst multi-colored clouds, between a
wave band encircling the foot and a fower-decorated yellow-ground
ruyi collar on the shoulder which is repeated above two further
dragons shown at a similar pursuit on the trumpet-shaped neck.
55Ω in. (141.2 cm.) high (2)
$50,000-70,000

The decoration seen on this pair of massive vases is laden with
auspicious meaning. Firstly, the dragon, in particular the fve-
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 diferent 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 diferent color, sold at Christie’s New York, 22 March 2019,
lot 1815.
清光緒/宣統 粉彩龍紋大瓶一對

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