Page 320 - Chinese Works of Art Chritie's Mar. 22-23 2018

THE PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE CALIFORNIA COLLECTOR
981
A VERY RARE AND EXCEPTIONAL DRAGON BADGE, BUZI
WANLI PERIOD (1573-1619)
The badge is fnely woven with a winged and horned front-facing and fve-clawed yinglong dragon chasing
a faming pearl, with both horns and wings, striding amidst lingzhi scroll, all above rocks emerging from
roiling waves.
The badge 14Ω in. x 14¿ in. (36.8 x 36.1 cm.), mounted and glazed

$18,000-25,000

PROVENANCE
CP Ching, Hong Kong, acquired in 2009.
The present badge features a rare yinglong dragon, which refers to dragons with wings and horns, which
was thought to be a rain deity. Winged dragon badges are thought to be of the rarest types of festival
badges, which were worn by the Imperial court for the Winter Solstice.
A similarly worked dragon, but without the rare wings featured on the present badge and on a diferent
silk ground, is in the University of Alberta Museums, Mactaggart Art Collection, and is published by
J. Vollmer and J. Simcox, Emblems of Empire: Selections from the Mactaggart Art Collection, Edmonton,
Canada, 2009, p. 54.
明萬曆 海水雲龍紋補子

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