Page 44 - Bonhams Fine Chinese Art Nov 2013 Hong Kong

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A magnificent and large Imperial blue and white ‘dragon’ dish
Qianlong seal mark and of the period
Exquisitely potted with a short circular recessed foot, the gently curving
sides rising to a flat lipped rim, the interior dominated by a ferocious
forward-facing dragon, its five-talon claws outstretched in pursuit of
the flaming pearl decorated in the form of a stylised shou character, the
scaly and muscular body engulfed with flames writhing amidst wispy
cloud scrolls within double-lined borders, the inner frieze decorated
with four dragons in flight amongst lightning clouds beneath splashing
wave border, the cavetto depicting a continuous scene of raging waves
interspersed with emerging rockwork piercing through the seas, the base
with a six-character Imperial zhuanshu seal mark in underglaze-blue.
44.8cm diam.
Estimate on request
清乾隆 青花海水雲龍紋折沿大盤 青花「大清乾隆年製」篆書款
The dragon traditionally symbolises the ultimate auspiciousness and
authority in Chinese history, whereby it represents the total control over
all the natural elements and as the bringer of luck as well as prosperity to & Clarissa von Spee, Chinese Ceramics from the Gulexuan Collection,
those who are worthy. The Emperor being the Son of Heaven, is always
represented by a dragon to symbolise his Imperial political power and
strength over his nation and subjects. As shown by the current lot, the
main forward facing dragon is clearly defined by the bold styles adopted
by the Qianlong Emperor, where the mythical being is depicted with the
utmost ferocity and overwhelming presence. Its sharpened five-claws
issuing from powerful limbs trying to grasp the fireball in the form of a
rarely seen idiosyncratic shou character serves as a symbol of blessing to
the Qianlong Emperor, granting him a long life of ten thousand years or
wan sui.
Under the rule of the Qianlong Emperor, Chinese art and the ceramic
industry reached new heights, creating some of the most spectacular
porcelains ever crafted in the history of China. The blue and white
porcelain in particular during the Qianlong period achieved new heights
in terms of decorative techniques, shapes of the vessels as well as
the quality of the materials used. In the expert hands of the Qianlong
Imperial kilns at Jingdezhen, firing of the cobalt blue pigments surpassed
the simple deep and luminous blue colour, instead achieving a luxurious
range of layered tones carefully controlled to represent realistic subjects, 2008, lot 113. See also another example of the same pattern and size
in this case, bringing the naturalistic dragon to life, as beautifully
exhibited by the current lot.
42 | Bonhams
The Qianlong emperor is well-known for his taste in technically
innovative and artistically challenging pieces. He commissioned his
best artisans to work at the Imperial kilns of Jingdezhen to produce
unconventional but technologically breakthrough Imperial porcelain
pieces for his personal pleasure, no matter the cost. It is evident from
the rare and elaborate crashing waves motif at the cavetto, where
most would not usually pay careful observation, that the current lot is
no ordinary porcelain piece fired en masse at the kilns, but rather an
inspirational design added to further grant the viewers an enhanced
sense of excessive luxury. The sheer size of the current lot would have
also been specially commissioned and is extremely difficult to fire in the
kilns without warping or any imperfections.
Few examples of dishes with such exceptional size and quality are
collected in museums and private collections around the world, with
even fewer to have been offered at auction. See a rare identical example
with a centralised dragon encircled by four dragons above raging waves
crashing on rockwork at the undersides also with a Qianlong seal mark,
sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 April 2000, lot 599. Compare also
another identical Qianlong marked example published by Regina Krahl
Lunen, 2003, no.123. For further reference, see a related example
of a large blue and white dish but with winged-dragon motif and
undecorated in the cavetto, sold in our London rooms, 8 November
2012, lot 51.
The porcelain from the early years of the Qianlong reign as exemplified
by the current lot is often difficult to separate from that of the
Yongzheng era. This is not surprising as a selected compilation of designs
had been gathered to guide the production of Imperial ceramics in
1729, led by Tang Ying, whom later became the director of the kilns at
Jingdezhen. Hence many of the Yongzheng period designs worked by
experienced artisans under Tang Ying’s leadership would have served the
Qianlong emperor during his succession to the throne in 1736. Compare
an example with similar decoration but with a Yongzheng seal mark,
previously from the Evelyn Annenberg Hall collection which was acquired
in 1964, later in the Mathias Komor collection and S. Marchant & Son,
London, thereafter published in S. Marchant & Son, Recent Acquisitions
2007, London, 2007, pp.14-15, fig.5, sold at Christie’s New York, 29
March 2006, lot 131, and again at Sotheby’s New York, 16 September
but with a Yongzheng seal mark, formerly in the T.Y. Chao Private and
Family Trust Collections, previously illustrated in Ch’ing Porcelain from
the Wah Kwong Collection, Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1973,
no.61, and again in Exhibition of Ming and Ch’ing Porcelain from the
Collection of the T.Y. Chao Family Foundation, Hong Kong Museum
of Art, 1978, no.81, subsequently sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 18
November 1986, lot 80.