A RARE BLUE AND WHITE 'DRAGON' DISH MARK AND PERIOD OF LONGQING

the shallow dish decorated on the interior with a double-circle medallion enclosing an en face five-clawed scaly dragon amidst ruyi clouds and flames, the exterior with a pair of dragons soaring through cloud swirls and chasing a 'flaming pearl', the base with a six character mark within a double-circle

Christie's New York, 19th September 1996, lot 269.

This dish is in overall very good condition with some expected surface scratches. There are also some typical firing imperfections such as minor fritting to the mouthrim, glaze pulls and firing lines to the unglazed foot with associated flakes (one appears to have been slightly polished).
"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."

Surviving Longqing dishes decorated in underglaze blue with a dragon are very rare, and the design on the present piece is particularly notable for its front-facing dragon, as the creatures were more commonly depicted side-facing. Porcelain wares made during the brief six-year reign of the Longqing emperor are known to have followed closely in the style of the preceding Jiajing reign. They were made in small quantity and those which bear the imperial reign mark are even rarer. Dishes painted with dynamic five-clawed dragons are more commonly known decorated in the wucai palette; see for example a Longqing mark and period dish with a pair of dragons, in the British Museum, London, illustrated in Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, pl. 10:8; one in the Chang Foundation, published in Selected Chinese Ceramics from Han to Qing Dynasties, Taiwan, 1990, pl. 103; and another in the Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Tokyo, illustrated in Imperial Overglaze-Enamelled Wares in the Late Ming Dynasty, Tokyo, 1995, pl. 16.

Compare also a Jiajing mark and period dish of slightly larger size, painted with a similar dragon motif in cobalt, the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm, illustrated in Jan Wirgin, ‘Ming Wares in the Lauritzen Collection’, B.M.F.E.A. no. 37, 1965, pl. 17; another from the Reemtsma collection, included in the exhibition Tausend Jahre Chinesische Keramik, Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, 1974, cat. no. 84; and a slightly smaller dish sold in these rooms, 15th November 1988, lot 128.