Page 80 - Important Chinese Art, Sotheby's London May 15 2019

53

A RARE BLUE AND WHITE ‘DRAGON’ ZHADOU
ZHENGDE MARK AND PERIOD
the compressed globular body rising from a short spreading
foot to a broad flaring neck, painted around the exterior with
two bands of scaly five-clawed dragons amidst scrolling leafy
lotus, the interior of the neck similarly painted, all above
a ruyi band at the foot, the base inscribed with the four-
character mark in underglaze-blue within a double circle mark
15.5 cm, 6 in.

£ 30,000-50,000
HK$ 308,000-515,000 US$ 39,300-65,500
明正德 青花穿花龍紋渣斗
《正德年製》款

This jar is notable for its delicate yet lively painting of
dragons amidst a luscious floral scroll, a motif that originated
in the early Ming dynasty and was particularly favoured at
the Zhengde court. The writhing movement of the creature,
which captures its auspicious and positive essence, the
unctuous glaze and well-proportioned body of the vessel are
all characteristic of this period.
Three similar zhadou in the Palace Museum, Beijing, were
included in the Museum’s exhibition Imperial Porcelains
from the Reign of Hongzhi and Zhengde in the Ming Dynasty,
Beijing, 2017, vol. 2, cat. nos 180-182, together with a
reconstructed example excavated at the imperial kiln site in
Zhushan, cat. no. 418; one in the National Palace Museum,
Taipei, was included in Radiating Hues of Blue and White,
Taipei, 2016, pl. 76; another from the Sir Percival David
collection now in the British Museum, London, is published
in Oriental Ceramics. The World’s Great Collections,
Tokyo, 1980, vol. 6, pl. 124; and a further example from
the Lauritzen collection in the Museum of Far Eastern
Antiquities, Stockholm, is illustrated ibid., vol. 8, pl. 228.
Zhadou of this type from important private collections
have also been sold at auction; a jar from the collections
of L.F. Hay, H.M. Knight and Frederick Knight, included in
the exhibition Oosterse Schatten. 4000 Jaar Aziatische
Kunst, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, 1954, cat. no. 247, was
sold in these rooms, 16th June 1939, lot 99, in our Hong
Kong rooms, 18th May 1982, lot 30, and in our New York
rooms, 15th June 1983, lot 278; one from the Meiyintang
collection was sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 7th April 2011,
lot 60; another from the collection of Ira and Nancy Koger,
was sold at Christie’s New York, 19th September 2006, lot
245, and again in our Hong Kong rooms, 8th October 2013,
lot 212; and a fourth example, sold the first time in our Los
Angeles rooms, 14th June 1979, lot 1102, again at Christie’s
New York, 10th December 1987, lot 226, Christie’s Hong
Kong, 19th March 1991, lot 523, from the Tianminlou
collection and recently sold in our Hong Kong room, 3rd
April 2019, lot 13.

78 Buyers are liable to pay both the hammer price (as estimated above) and the buyer’s premium together with any applicable taxes and Artist’s Resale Right (which will depend on the individual circumstanc-
es). Refer to the Buying at Auction and VAT sections at the back of this catalogue for further information.