Lot 138. The Leshantang Collection. A finely painted and gilt-decorated famille-rose 'dragon and phoenix' jar and cover, Seal mark and period of Jiaqing (1796-1820); overall 26.8 cm. Lot Sold 2,159,000 HKD (Estimate 800,000 - 1?200,000 HKD). © Sotheby's 2024

the ovoid body rising from a short foot to a straight neck, finely painted with a ferocious five-clawed dragon in iron-red and a famille-rose phoenix soaring amidst undulating floral scrolls, framed by bands of  ruyi- lappets, plantain leaves and keyfret , fitted with a similarly decorated domed cover with a bud-shaped knob, all with details meticulously picked out in underglaze-blue, overglaze enamels and gilt highlights, the base inscribed with a six-character seal mark in underglaze-blue.

Provenance: Sotheby's New York, 20th February 1975, lot 289.
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 13th November 1990, lot 308.
Sotheby's London, 7th November 2012, lot 103.

Note: The lively, robust five-clawed scaly dragon in iron-red enamel on the present jar starkly contrasts with the pink-bodied phoenix drawn with soft brushstrokes to highlight the bird's feminine quality. The overall composition is characteristic of the early Jiaqing period, when designs were often set amid meandering peony and hibiscus on a white body that served as the painter's 'canvas', and when the influence of Qianlong period painting style remained strong and evident.

For example, see a large Qianlong mark and period  famille-rose  vase painted with bright enamels and iron-red with landscape panels on a ground of floral design, sold in these rooms, 22nd May 1984, lot 142, and again, 13th November 1990 , lot 310; and another Qianlong vase, the body covered with floral decoration, included in the exhibition  Ethereal Elegance. Porcelain Vases of the Imperial Qing. The Huaihaitang Collection,  Art Museum, Institute of Chinese Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2007, cat. no. 126, together with a Qianlong wall vase, also painted in a related fashion with flower scrolls and upright petals around the base, cat. no. 130.

The 'dragon and phoenix' motif is full of auspicious connotations, and vessels decorated with two of the most important mythical animals in Chinese tradition are typically made as wedding gifts. The dragon symbolizes the emperor and represents fertility, while the phoenix embodies solar warmth and helps produce male offspring. The dragon, together with the phoenix, the leader of all winged creatures, symbolizes the emperor and the empress and represents marital bliss. When the two animals face each other, as seen on this jar when turned, they convey the message of a happy reunion and good omen.

A related jar and cover, but with a slightly varying  ruyi  band at the shoulder beneath a flower scroll neck and a stylised lappet band at the foot, was sold at Christie's New York, 15th September 2009, lot 462. Compare also a jar lacking its cover, painted with a similar design overall above a lappet band, sold at Christie's London, 5th June 1995, lot 170.

On this vase, the five-clawed dragon is outlined in alum red, with a masculine and masculine momentum, while the phoenix is ​​painted in pink with a feminine brushwork. The two are in sharp contrast and complement each other. The background is plain white, decorated with entangled branches of peonies and hibiscus. It is a legacy of Qianlong porcelain and is a typical design of the early Jiaqing period.

See an example from the Qianlong period, with a mark and a consecrated landscape painting in pastel alum red, which was sold twice at Sotheby's Hong Kong, May 22, 1982, lot 142, and November 13, 1990, lot 310; another An example from the Qianlong period, decorated with intertwining branches, is on display in Qing Dynasty Imperial Kiln Porcelain Vase from the Huaihaitang Collection, Art Museum of the Institute of Chinese Culture, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2007, cat. no. 126. See the Qianlong wall vase in the same exhibition, with the same intertwining branch pattern and a lotus petal pattern near the foot, no. 130.

The dragon and phoenix are the first of the traditional Chinese mythical animals and are full of auspicious meaning, so they are often used in wedding gifts. The dragon symbolizes the supremacy of imperial power, while the phoenix represents the sun, which means having many children, and is also a symbol of the queen. The dragon and phoenix present the auspiciousness of this product, wishing the couple a happy son and a harmonious marriage.

See a related example, which is slightly different from the present one. The bottle neck is decorated with a wishful thinking pattern under the entwined branches, and a lotus petal pattern is painted near the foot. It was sold at Sotheby's New York on September 15, 2009, lot 462. Another example of a missing bottle cap was sold at Sotheby's London on June 5, 1995, lot 170.