Lot 7. The Au Bak Ling Collection. A rare blue and white 'dragon' dish, Zhengde six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle and of the period (1506-1521); 17.5 cm diam. Price realised HKD 4,032,011 (Estimate HKD 1.500,000-2.500,000). © Christie's Images Ltd 2024.

The dish is potted with rounded sides and flared rim supported on a short foot, painted in varying deep blue tones with three clouds in the central medallion and a classic-scroll at the rim, the exterior is decorated with two five-clawed dragons in pursuit of flaming pearls among clouds.

Provenance: Marchant, London, 12 June 1988

Note: The inspiration of this design is based on the rare 14th century prototypes, see a similarly decorated Hongwu period blue and white dish from the Palace Museum collection, Beijing, illustrated by Geng Baochang in Mingqing ciqi jianding, Hong Kong, 1993, col. pl. 3.

Compare to a similar Zhengde-marked dish in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Porcelain of the National Palace Museum: Blue-and-White Ware of the Ming Dynasty, volume IV, Hong Kong, 1963, no. 11; and one formerly in the J.M. Hu Family collection, sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 8 April 2011, lot 3200.

Christie's. The Au Bak Ling Collection: The Inaugural Sale, Hong Kong, 26 September 2024