A rare blue and white 'Dragon' tazza, Seal mark and period of Qianlong. Photo: Sotheby's.

of circular form with shallow slightly rounded sides supported on a tall splayed stem, painted around the sides with a band of interlinked foliate strapwork within line borders, the stem brightly decorated in shaded tones of cobalt with a five-clawed dragon striding in pursuit of a 'flaming pearl' above a tempestuous sea, with a large carp further leaping from the breaking waves, and three pointed rocks alternating with clusters of floating leaves, the interior of the stem inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character seal mark written in a horizontal line; diameter 22.9 cm., 9 in. Estimation 500,000 - 700,000 HKD. Unsold