Page 62 - Christie's London Fine Chinese Ceramics Nov. 2019

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A LARGE BLUE AND WHITE 'DRAGON' JAR so, but in fact these creatures have a much earlier origin in the Shanhaijing
JIAJING PERIOD (1522-1566) or 'Classic of Mountains and Seas', which was a literary work revised by Guo
The jar is decorated to the exterior in inky tones of cobalt blue with two winged Pu in the Eastern Jin period (AD 317-420), but which regained popularity in
dragons chasing faming pearls amidst scrolling clouds, above a band of the early Ming dynasty. All of the sea-creatures seen on Ming porcelains can
waves, all between a band of Buddhist lions and brocade balls to the shoulder be identifed from descriptions in the Shanhaijing (see Chen Ching-kuang,
and a stylised lappet band to the foot. 'Sea Creatures on Ming Imperial porcelains', in Rosemary Scott (ed.), The
13º in. (33.6 cm.) high Porcelains of Jingdezhen, London , 1993, pp.101-22). These appear as a group
£10,000-15,000 US$13,000-19,000 on 15th century imperial porcelain and on those of the Wanli reign. Two of the
€12,000-17,000 group appear individually on porcelains of the Jiajing reign - the winged horse
and the winged dragon. Compare the decoration of this jar to a very similarly
This type of winged dragon is sometimes called a ying long, and sometimes
decorated fsh basin sold at Christie's London, 9 November 2010, lot 219.
a feiyu. The winged dragon was one of a group of winged or fame-propelled
animals associated with the sea - commonly known simply as haishou or
sea-creatures - who appear on porcelains of the Ming dynasty. It has been 明嘉靖 青花雲龍戲珠紋罐
suggested that this was a refection of China's maritime supremacy in the
early Ming period (see L.A. Cort and J. Stuart in Joined Colors: Decoration
and Meaning in Chinese Porcelain, Washington, DC, 1993, p. 40). This may be

60 In addition to the hammer price, a Buyer’s Premium (plus VAT) is payable. Other taxes and/or an Artist Resale Royalty
fee are also payable if the lot has a tax or λ symbol. Check Section D of the Conditions of Sale at the back of this catalogue.