A blue and white and famille rose enameled 'dragon' moonflask Mark and period of Qianlong | 清乾隆 青花粉彩龍紋螭龍耳抱月瓶《大清乾隆年製》款

Outstanding for its bold and dynamic dragon motif, this moonflask is a grand statement of the Qianlong Emperor's imperial splendour. Here the larger mighty dragon is depicted in the company of a younger dragon, representing the message of ‘the old teaching its young one’. The proverb ‘canglong jiaozi’ which translates as ‘the old dragon teaches his son’ is recorded in the Song dynasty (960-1279) Confucian reading primer, the Sanzi jing [Three Character Classics], generally attributed to Wang Yinglin (1223-1296) but also accepted by some as the work of Ou Shizi (1234-1324).

In the quest to justify their right to the throne of China as a foreign ruler, the Manchu emperors of the Qing dynasty diligently studied the fabric of Chinese society and utilised every type of art to assert their position. Accordingly, craftsmen working at the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen were commissioned to refer to great works of China's past while simultaneously creating innovative and contemporary pieces that boasted the excellent workmanship of the era. Immediately striking in its design, the dragons on this moonflask are inspired by early-Ming prototypes yet mark a departure from their predecessors. Dragons had rarely appeared on moonflasks before the Qianlong period, although a few examples from the early 15th century exist, such as a Xuande flask painted with a three-clawed dragon, illustrated in Gugong Bowuyuan cang Ming chu qinghua ci [Early Ming blue-and-white porcelain in the Palace Museum], vol. 1, Beijing, 2002, pl. 89. The motif of a front-facing dragon first emerged in the mid-16th century after which it became its most commonly depicted form in the decorative arts of the late Ming period, appearing on ceremonial robes, porcelain and carved objects. However, the Qing rendering of the front-facing dragon is markedly different from its predecessors. Following in the highly-detailed and vigorous style pioneered by Liu Yuan (c.1638-c.1685), an accomplished painted, calligrapher and carver who was employed by the court for a brief period to design porcelains for the imperial factory in Jingdezhen during the Kangxi reign, this dragon captures the innate strength and majesty of the mythical creature. The ferocity of the creature is highlighted in the eyes that are both fixed on the flaming pearl and engaged with the viewer to convey the power and beneficence it symbolises. The painter’s expertise with enamels is evident in the fine details of the face and scaly body, which has been rendered in a combination of delicate outlines and shadings.

In its form, this moonflask makes further reference to its Ming predecessors. Early 15th century moonflasks, with double handles and of oval section, probably derived from pottery pilgrim flasks brought into China by Sogdian merchants which were then reproduced in lead-glazed earthenware. By the time the Ming imperial potters at Jingdezhen became interested in this shape, it retained only a basic relationship to the original form. They rejuvenated the vessel, creating a sophisticated, faintly elliptical, circular outline with swelling sides, all counterbalanced by a slender cylindrical neck and fanciful handles. Following a lull in production after the 15th century, Qing potters again revived the form, perhaps also due to its resemblance to the archaic bronze bianhu, which would have appealed to the emperors’ passion for archaism.

Closely related blue and white and famille rose enamelled moonflasks rendered with a front-facing dragon are rare; A moonflask decorated with deep pink-enamelled dragon and underglaze blue clouds, seal mark and period of Qianlong, from the Qing court Collection and preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is published in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (III), Shanghai, 2000, pl. 232. Compare also a pair of deep pink-enamelled and underglaze-blue moonflasks with dragon and clouds, on display in Chonghuagong ('Palace of Double Brilliance'), Forbidden City; see Ming Qing shinei chenshe [Interior decoration of the Ming and Qing dynasties], Beijing, 2008, fig. 103.

此抱月瓶紋飾富麗，刻劃五爪巨龍及幼龍，盡顯乾隆盛世輝煌。蒼龍教子，早於宋籍已有記載。儒家古籍《三字經》（多認為王應麟（1223-1296年）作，亦有認為區適子（1234-1324年）著）乃傳統啟蒙教材，三子一句，朗朗上口。 

滿清帝王為扭轉其異族形象，證其政權正統性，勤於深耕中原文化，運用各類工藝品強調皇權天授、順應天命。景德鎮御窰廠瓷匠受命依前朝名瓷為本，承舊創新，精益求精，官窰御瓷更得至美臻善。此龍紋取材早明雛本，畫藝越見精妙。乾窰之前，罕有龍紋扁壺，惟有少數十五世紀初作例存世，例如一件宣窰三爪龍紋扁壺，刊於《故宮博物院藏明初青花瓷》，卷1，北京，2002年，圖版89。這拍品紋飾中龍首正面直視，此式龍紋初現於十六世紀中期，晚明最為盛行，可見於袍服、瓷器，及各式雕件。然盛清雲龍紋飾，既模古、也納新，有其獨到之處。此處龍紋可溯自康熙一朝，劉源（約1638年至約1685年）奉皇命設計御瓷藍本，劉氏精書畫、工雕刻，筆下雲龍翻騰有力，威震天地，目光如炬，直視燄珠及觀者，象徵皇權至上。瓷匠以鈷青，染、點、勾描，細繪龍顏，靈動如生，盡顯巧技。

此器形、紋參考十五世紀初明代雛本，設雙耳、橢圓身，可溯源至唐代粟特商人携入中國之鉛釉陶扁壶。明代景德鎮御窰匠保留扁壺形制，添注匠心巧思，成器煥然一新，柔肩鼓腹，微顯橢圓，與修長瓶頸及捲曲雙耳相映成趣。十五世紀後，此形制式微，直至清代方得復興，或因此形制尤似古青銅扁壺，適逢清代帝王慕古，乃獲青睞。

相類綴正面龍紋之青花扁壺極為珍稀，北京故宮博物院清宮舊藏中，可見青花胭脂彩近似一例，見《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集．青花釉裏紅（下）》，香港，2000年，圖版232。另有一對例，陳列於重華宮翠雲館，見《明清室內陳設》，北京，2008年，圖103。