A LARGE BLUE AND WHITE 'DRAGON' GARLIC-MOUTH BOTTLE VASE WANLI MARK AND PERIOD |

sturdily potted, the pear-shaped body supported on a short foot, tapering to a tall neck with a garlic-head mouth and upright rim, the body painted with two pairs of sinuous five-clawed dragons alternately descending and ascending in pursuit of 'Flaming Pearls' amidst a composite floral scroll, all above a band of upright lappets and keyfret at the foot and below a trefoil chevron border at the shoulder, the slightly waisted neck painted with birds perched on tall flowering branches, with a broad border of lotus scroll encircling the mouth, the six-character reign mark inscribed in a horizontal line within a rectangular cartouche at the rim, two Japanese boxes (5)

There is some possible consolidation to the lute lines. With minor wear and scattered firing imperfections including a vertical depression to one side of the shoulder apprx. 16 cm long, small glaze pulls including some at the rim, burst air bubbles, and a flaw to the base, possibly from detached kiln grit. The neck leans very slightly to one side.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Vividly painted in brilliant cobalt blue with sinuous dragons amongst a dense floral scroll, this vase is representative of the larger porcelain wares created in the late Ming dynasty. While the Wanli Emperor has not gone down in history as a major statesman or a devoted art lover, imperial ceramic production flourished during his reign. A great love of luxury at court and in the upper echelons of society, and the Emperor’s liberal spending of government resources on personal luxury items, resulted in an increased demand for expensive and impressive porcelains. Innovative shapes and unorthodox designs mark this period, epitomized by this vase through its magnificent size, unusual garlic-mouth shape and in the spirited rendering of its dragon motif.   

Vases of this form painted with dragons, and with birds on flowering and fruiting branches at the neck, are rare, and only two closely related examples appear to have been published: the first in the Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Tokyo, is illustrated in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, pl. 745; and the second was sold at Christie’s London, 16th November 1998, lot 78. See also a slightly larger Wanli mark and period vase of this type, but painted with a floral scroll on the neck, in the Shanghai Museum, illustrated in Lu Minghua, Mingdai guanyao ciqi [Ming imperial porcelain], Shanghai, 2007, pl. 1-74; another from the Meiyintang Collection, illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 4, London, 2014, pl. 1697, and sold at Christie’s New York, 28th March 1996, lot 343; and a third from the collection of Dr Hsi Hai Chang, Minister Plenipotentiary of the Chinese Republic, sold in these rooms, 23rd-24th May 1974, lot 352.

 

This design is also known on vases painted in wucai, such as a piece in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Minji meihin zuroku [Illustrated catalogue of Ming dynasty porcelain], Tokyo, 1978, pl. 99; another from the Avery Brundage Collection, in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, illustrated in Soame Jenyns, Ming Pottery and Porcelain, London, 1988, pl. 187, and sold in our London rooms, 4th July 1945, lot 80; and a third sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 8th April 2010, lot 1865.