Iron red and Underglaze Blue ‘Dragon’ Dish, China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911)-Republic period. Starting price € 5,000.00. Photo Auctionata
Porcelain with blue underglaze painting, accented with iron red and highlighted with gold. Elegant bowl on a flat foot rim. In the center a five clawed dragon in iron red with the golden magic pearl. Surrounded by small clouds among double circles. The outer wall also with revolving dragons with miracle pearls and cloud elements. Base with the six-character Qianlong apocryphal mark.
The bowl is in good condition with only slight signs of age and wear. The height is 3.5 cm and the diameter measures 17 cm.
Dragon
The dragon is in East Asia one of most depicted mythical creatures with an ambivalent meaning. The oldest presentations come from the Neolithic period and show a snake-like creature. Since the Han dynasty (206 BC to 220 AD) the five clawed dragon is the emblematic animal for the emperor. Since the Song Dynasty (960-1279) the dragon is known as long and is a symbol of the spring, the water and the rain. It is associated with the active principle Yang and in connection with the phoenix (fenghuang), the tortoise (gui) and the Unicorn (qilin) the dragon is one of the ‘four wonders animals’ (siling). A dragon has magical powers, so it is said in the legends. The latter is extremely durable and has the gift of metamorphosis.
Blue and White Style
The blue white porcelain had its golden age in the Chinese Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), but it believed that this porcelain type was first made in the Tang Dynasty (618-906). Especially the proverbial ‘Ming vase’ characterizes mainly the European idea of the Chinese porcelain art. The blue color is caused by a mixture of cobalt oxide and water. The color has been painted onto the porcelain before glazing and firing. After that it is coated with a transparent glaze.
Auctionata. Asian Treasures. Monday, Aug 24, 2015, 8 am EDT