A rare wucai'Dragon' dish, Mark and period of Longqing. Photo Sotheby's
the shallow rounded sides supported on a tapered foot, the interior decorated with a medallion enclosing two five-clawed dragons writhing sinuously amid ruyi-shaped clouds and flames in mutual pursuit of a blue 'flaming pearl' in the centre, one dragon with an underglaze-blue body and an iron-red serrated spine and the other vice versa, an iron-red double-line bordering the medallion and rim, the exterior similarly decorated with four further five-clawed dragons in red, blue, yellow and green respectively, all between a double-line border encircling the foot and rim, the base inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character reign mark within double circles; 34 cm., 13 3/8 in. Estimate 300,000 — 400,000 HKD
Note: Wucai wares from the short-lived Longqing reign are rare, and only a small number is preserved in museum and private collections. For a closely related dish in the British Museum, bequeathed by Francis Howard Paget in 1945, see J.Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, no.10:8. For another rare Longqing reign-marked piece sold at auction, see a wucai 'cross' box and cover decorated with similar five-clawed dragons, sold in these rooms, 23rd October 2005, lot 455.
Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art. Hong Kong | 08 Apr 2014 - www.sothebys.com