A BLUE AND WHITE 'DRAGON' ZHADOU MARK AND PERIOD OF ZHENGDE

well potted with a rounded lower body supported on a splayed foot, rising to a wide flared neck, freely painted around the exterior in deft strokes of cobalt blue with two five-clawed dragons writhing among lotus flowers borne on a continuous meander, each with bulging eyes, wide open jaws and a powerful scaly body, above a border of ruyi around the foot and between double-line borders at the footrim and mouth, the interior similarly decorated with a fierce sinuous dragon among lotus, the base inscribed with a four-character reign mark

The Estate of Ira and Nancy Koger.
Christie's New York, 19th September 2006, lot 245.

The mouthrim has been polished down to conceal chips including one with an associated hairline crack measuring approx. 0.5cm long.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This dragon-and-lotus design is one of the most characteristic decorative motifs of Zhengde imperial porcelains, adorning dishes, bowls, stem bowls and vases. The proliferation of this design suggests that it was almost the official pattern of the period.

 A closely related example in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, is illustrated in Minji meihin zuroku, Tokyo, 1977, vol. 2, pl. 92; one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is included in Zhongguo taoci quanji, vol. 12, Shanghai, 2000, pl. 147; another from the Sir Percival David collection and now in the British Museum, London, is included in Oriental Ceramics. The World’s Great Collections, Tokyo, 1982, pl. 124; and a fourth zhadou from the Meiyintang collection, illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 2, London, 1994, pl. 686, was sold at Christie’s London, 5^th April 1976, lot 161, and again in these rooms, 7^th April 2011, lot 60. A similar piece from the collections of L.F. Hay, H.M. Knight, and Frederick Knight, included in the exhibition Oosterse Schatten. 4000 Jaar Aziatische Kunst, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, 1954, cat. no. 247, was sold three times in our rooms, in London, 16^th June 1939, lot 99, in Hong Kong, 18^th May 1982, lot 30, and in New York, 15^th June 1983, lot 278.