Page 166 - Christies King St. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART

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A RARE LARGE BLUE AND WHITE ‘DRAGON’ BASIN
MING DYNASTY, 16TH CENTURY

明十六世紀 青花雲龍戲珠紋盆

The basin is of a shallow compressed form with a lipped rim and supported by a short foot. It is decorated
around the exterior with two large writhing dragons chasing a flaming pearl amongst clouds, all between
cloud scrolls to the mouth rim and a classic scroll above the foot.

18 in. (45.8 cm.) diam.

£20,000-30,000 $31,000-46,000
€28,000-41,000

PROVENANCE:

Christie’s London, 15 June 1998, lot 96.
With Linart Ltd., London, 20 June 1998.
From the Collection of Francis Golding (1944-2013).

來源: 英國私人藏家弗朗西斯．戈爾丁（1944 -2013）珍藏； 1998年6月15日
倫敦佳士得拍賣， 拍品第96號； 1998年6月20日購自倫敦古董商Linart Ltd.

Large shallow basins of this type are very rare and it is possible that this vessel may have been intended
as a jardinière or for penjing. The decoration on the exterior is boldly executed with a well-painted
dragon band. The form of the dragon is similar to those seen on smaller vessels of the Jiajing reign, such
as a lidded jar in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing (illustrated The Complete Collection of
Treasures of the Palace Museum – 34 – Blue and White Porcelain with underglaze Red (II), Hong Kong,
2000, p. 103, no. 96), and the dish in the same collection (illustrated ibid., p. 130, no. 120). The scales of
the dragon on the current vessel are particularly well defined as overlapping arcs, and using both dark
outlines and pale reserved areas at the edge of each scale. Careful depiction of scales using the time-
consuming technique of overlapping arcs is relatively rare on porcelains of the 16th and 17th centuries,
when the faster, if less effective, technique of cross-hatching was often substituted.

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