Page 23 - Bonhams Fine Chinese Art November 2018

118
A VERY RARE WUCAI ‘SIX-DRAGON’ DISH Given the short six-year reign of the Longqing emperor, it is very rare to
Longqing six-character mark and of the period find pieces specifically dated to this period. Those that do survive are
The shallow rounded sides supported on a tapered foot, the interior often similar in style to those of the late Jiajing and early Wanli periods.
decorated with a medallion enclosing two five-clawed dragons writhing
sinuously amid ruyi-shaped clouds and flames in mutual pursuit of Wucai enamelled ware, as in the present lot, was particularly popular
a blue ‘flaming pearl’ in the centre, one dragon with an underglaze- at the Longqing emperor’s court, and examples are now included in
blue body and an iron-red serrated spine and the other decorated important museum and private collections. See for example a very
in reverse, an iron-red double line bordering the medallion and rim, similar dish illustrated by J.Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British
the exterior similarly decorated with four further striding five-clawed Museum, London, 2001, no.10:8. Another example is illustrated in
dragons in red, blue, yellow and green. Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, no.200.
33cm (13in) diam. A third example in the Percival David Collection, now in the British
Museum, London is illustrated by R.Scott and R.Kerr, Ceramic
£15,000 - 20,000 Evolution in the Middle Ming Period: Hongzhi to Wanli (1488-1620),
CNY140,000 - 180,000 Singapore, 1994, no.20.

Compare with a similar ‘dragon’ dish, Longqing mark and of the period,
明隆慶 五彩雙龍戲珠紋盤 which was sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 8 April 2014, lot 3105.
青花「大明隆慶年造」楷書款

Provenance: a European private collection, and thence by descent

來源： 歐洲私人收藏，並由後人保存迄今

For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue. FINE CHINESE ART | 21