Olivia Xu
Associate Specialist
THE PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN 紳士藏品
Lot 133
A GREEN AND AUBERGINE-GLAZED 'DRAGON' BOWL Daoguang seal mark and of the period
16 May 2024, 10:00 BST
London, New Bond StreetSold for £7,040 inc. premium
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Chen Xie
Specialist
Edward Luper
Specialist, Chinese Works of Art
A GREEN AND AUBERGINE-GLAZED 'DRAGON' BOWL
Daoguang seal mark and of the period
The rounded sides of the bowl rising from a short straight foot to a slightly everted rim, the exterior decorated with a pair of incised aubergine-glazed five-clawed dragons, each in pursuit of a flaming pearl above a band of rolling waves, against a green ground, the base glazed white inscribed with a six-character Daoguang seal mark. 11.1cm (4 3/8in) diam.
The rounded sides of the bowl rising from a short straight foot to a slightly everted rim, the exterior decorated with a pair of incised aubergine-glazed five-clawed dragons, each in pursuit of a flaming pearl above a band of rolling waves, against a green ground, the base glazed white inscribed with a six-character Daoguang seal mark. 11.1cm (4 3/8in) diam.
Footnotes
清道光 綠地紫彩海水雲龍紋碗
青花「大清道光年製」篆書款
The production of the two-colour 'dragon' bowls as the present lot necessitates a sophisticated manufacturing process. Initial steps involve meticulous carving of the decorative patterns on the bowls, followed by high-temperature firing to achieve the desired shape. Subsequently, the bowls are applied with overglaze enamel washes to create the distinctive green and purple decorations, undergoing a second firing in the kiln at a lower temperature. Stringent control of the kiln temperature was imperative throughout the manufacturing process.
According to The Compilation of Qing Court History (國朝宮史), volume 17, compiled in the seventh year of the Qianlong period (1742), vessels decorated with the colour scheme of aubergine dragons on a green ground, as seen on the present lot, were made for the use of the Qing emperors' concubines of the fifth rank, guiren (貴人).
See a similar green and aubergine-glazed 'dragon' bowl, Daoguang seal mark and of the period, in the Qing Court Collection, in the National Palace Museum Taipei, (acc.no.故瓷000784N000000000). Compare also with a similar but slightly larger green and aubergine-glazed dragon bowl, Daoguang seal mark and of the period, which was sold at Sotheby's London, 1 November 2022, lot 6.
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