Provenance: a French private collection, given as a wedding gift in the 1920s
and thence by descent

The nine-dragon decoration on the present vase is highly symbolic of the emperor and indeed indicates that this vase may have been exclusively made for his use. This design of nine dragons can be seen on Imperial vases from the Qing Court Collection. However, no other vase of this particular combination of colour scheme, enamelling and design appears to have been published.

Compare a blue and white 'nine-dragon' meiping, and a blue and copper-red 'nine-dragon' meiping, both Qianlong seal marks and period, from the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Blue and White Porcelain with Underglaze Red (III), Hong Kong, 2000, Catalogue nos.116 and 205. The present design is a continuation from Yongzheng mark and period underglaze red and reserved white 'dragon' meiping, as illustrated in Selected Porcelain of the Flourishing Qing Dynasty, Beijing, 1994, p.169. These in turn were inspired by early 15th century prototypes, see Geng Baochang, Ming Qing ciqi jianding, Hong Kong, 1993, p.19, fig.26C.

A related blue and copper-red 'nine-dragon' meiping, without a reign mark, attributed to the Qianlong period Hong Kong, 10 April 2006, lot 1536; and another blue and copper-red 'nine-dragon' meiping, unmarked, attributed to the Yongzheng/ Qianlong period, sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 11 April 2008, lot 2923.