Lot 118. The Leshantang Collection. An exceptionally rare and finely painted copper-red 'nine dragon' moon flask, Seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795); 29.2 cm. Lot Sold 5,842,000 HKD (Estimate 3,000,000 - 4,000,000 HKD). © Sotheby's 2024

the moon-shaped body finely painted in rich tones of raspberry red with nine ferocious five-clawed dragons writhing amidst vaporous clouds and above crashing waves, surmounted by a tall neck decorated with a swooping bat suspending a tasselled chime on each side, between collars of pendent trefoils and flanked by two ruyi-handles, the countersunk base inscribed with a six-character seal mark in underglaze-blue.

Provenance: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 1st May 2001, lot 538 (acquired after the sale).

Literature: The Leshantang Collection, Taipei, 2005, pl. 47.

Lü Chenglong, Zhongguo gutaoci kuanzhi, Beijing, 2023, fig. 225.

Exhibited: Chinese Art from the Ching Wan Society Collections, Chang Foundation, Taipei, 1998, cat. no. 48.

Note: Brilliantly painted in copper red with nine dragons striding among scrolling clouds, the present moon flask is extremely rare and highly unusual for its dynamism and careful composition, revealing not only the opulent taste of the Qianlong Emperor but also the achievement of the imperial kilns made possible by the talented superintendent Tang Ying (1682-1756).

Copper red was arguably the most challenging porcelain pigment Jingdezhen artisans attempted to master since its invention in the early Ming dynasty. Although it was much favoured for its dazzling hue, underglaze-red decoration was virtually abandoned after the Xuande period due to its frustratingly high failure rate. It was only revived in the early Qing dynasty, around the 1670s of the Kangxi period. Under the supervision of Nian Xiyao and Tang Ying, the notoriously temperamental copper red was finally brought under greater control in the Yongzheng period. Successful firing of the desired tones remained difficult, and underglaze-red decorated wares continued to be made only in small quantities.

The Qing court archives of the imperial workshops document fewer than ten counts of such underglaze-red moon flasks painted with dragons throughout the Qianlong period (fig. 1), dated to either the 7th (1742) or the 10th year (1745). It affirms its scarcity and suggests an early production date when the imperial kilns were under the supervision of Tang Ying.

Fig.1. An entry in the Qing court archives, dated to the 7th year of the Qianlong period (1742)

There is only one other moon flask of this size, form and design, probably the pair to the present vase. It was acquired by Fernand Hébert, a French judge who travelled to China in 1911 and 1920, and was recently sold in Beijing. A slightly smaller underglaze-red flask of the same composition was sold in these rooms, 7th October 2008, lot 2208 (fig.2), entered the North American Ten-Views of Lingbi Rock Retreat Collection, no. EK352, and included in Giuseppe Eskenazi in collaboration with Hajni Elias, A Dealer’s Hand. The Chinese Art World Through the Eyes of Giuseppe Eskenazi, London, 2012; Chinese version, Shanghai, 2015, reprint, 2017, pl. 425. There is also a miniature version of the present flask with the same design painted in iron-red enamel included in the Special Exhibition of Dragon-Motif Porcelain in the Palace Museum, Taipei, 1983, cat. no. 73, with somewhat different handles and a key-fret border at the foot (fig.3).

Fig. 2.  A copper-red moon flask with nine dragons, Seal mark and period of Qianlong, h. 25.6 cm, Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8th october 2008, lot 2208.

Fig. 3.  An iron-red moon flask with nine dragons, Seal mark and period of Qianlong, Qing Court Collection, Palace Museum, Taipei.

Tang Ying is known to have sought inspiration from antiques in the court collection. In the 4th year (1739), for example, in response to an order of the Qianlong Emperor, having carefully studied the copper-red colour of a wall vase, a design draft and several antique vessels in Beijing, the superintendent promised to produce a group of archaistic underglaze-red wares with well-defined details and attractive bright tones (Geng Baocang, 'Daoyan [introduction]’, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (III), Shanghai, 2000, p. 25).

The shape of this handled moon flask and the design of nine dragons are both inspired by early Ming dynasty prototypes. However, no 15th-century flasks of this form with nine dragons appear to be recorded, regardless of painting style. A slightly smaller Yongle period blue and white moon flask with scroll handles, but decorated with fruiting and flowering lychee branches, is preserved in the British Museum, London, accession no. 1947,0712.325. For Xuande porcelain decorated with nine dragons, but among crashing waves, see a stem bowl in the Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Illustrated Catalogue of Ming Dynasty Porcelain in the Palace Museum, Tokyo, 1977-8, vol. 2, pl. 78; and another, sold in these rooms, 27th October 1992, lot 33. See also a fragmentary Yongle period pear-shaped covered ewer painted entirely in copper red – but unsuccessfully fired – with two five-clawed dragons amidst clouds, excavated from the Ming imperial kiln site, included in the exhibition Imperial Hongwu and Yongle Porcelain Excavated at Jingdezhen, Chang Foundation, Taipei, 1996, cat. no. 107.

Sotheby's. The Leshantang Collection (II) – Treasures of Chinese Art from the Tsai I-Ming Collection, Hong Kong, 9 April 2024.