Page 49 - Sotheby's Imperial Chiense Porcelain Nov 4 2020 London

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PROPERTY OF A EUROPEAN NOBLE FAMILY This magnificent dish is striking for its impressive size and
A MAGNIFICENT AND VERY RARE LARGE colourful design. Painted in vibrant colours of the famille-
FAMILLE-ROSE ‘DRAGON’ DISH rose palette, the design is filled with powerful portents of
good fortune and long life, suggesting that it may have been
YONGZHENG MARK AND PERIOD intended as an imperial birthday gift. The Yongzheng Emperor
was fascinated by porcelains and other works of art decorated
of ogee shape with gently rounded sides rising to a broad
everted rim, vividly painted to the interior in vibrant enamels with highly auspicious designs. Having ascended the throne
under slightly unusual circumstances, his right to rule was
with two sinuous five-clawed dragons, one depicted in vibrant persistently challenged by rivals to the throne hence he
pink, the other in bright green, with fierce expressions and
powerful limbs, their long bodies enveloping and flanking believed in any form of auspicious portent reaffirming his right
a central shou medallion picked out in iron-red and gold, to rule.
powerfully moving amidst multi-coloured clouds, the wide On this dish two ferocious side-facing five-clawed dragons,
rim boldly painted with eight red-crested cranes flying among symbols of the emperor, are painted in washes of pink and
clouds, the exterior painted with ten iron-red bats hovering green enamels moving towards a central shou medallion. Small
above tumultuous turquoise waves skirting the foot, the base colourful wispy clouds, are scattered around the interior and
with a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double rim of the charger. Known as wuse yun (five-coloured clouds),
circle they were considered to be auspicious omens, their sightings
Diameter 53.5 cm, 21 ⅛ in. announcing good fortune. The eight cranes on the rim and
ten bats on the exterior carry further symbolic meanings:
PROVENANCE cranes were traditionally associated with longevity and eight
Acquired in the late 19th century, thence in the family by cranes stood for the Eight Daoist Immortals. Red bats, on
descent. the other hand, are a visual pun for blessings, good fortune
and longevity. The overall design painted in such vibrant
£ 260,000-360,000 and colourful enamels on this dish, is packed with potent
and auspicious symbols and messages, responding to the
清雍正 粉彩雲龍捧壽紋大盤 Yongzheng emperor’s need to constantly justify his right to
rule.
《大清雍正年製》款
Several closely related examples have appeared on the
market, the first was sold twice in our Hong Kong rooms, on
來源 12th/13th May 1976, lot 299, and again, 19th May 1985, lot
得於十九世紀末，此後家族傳承 343; a second example was also sold in our Hong Kong rooms,
26th November 1980, lot 412; and a third example was sold at
Christie’s London, 7th December 1992, lot 59; finally, a fourth
dish of this size and pattern was sold in twice in our Hong Kong
rooms, on 17th November 1975, lot 111, and again, 9th October
2012, lot 3068.

94 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 95
(which will depend on the individual circumstances). Refer to the Buying at Auction and VAT sections at the back of this catalogue for further information.