Lot 120. A blue and white 'dragon' box and cover, Wanli mark and period (1573-1619). Estimate 15,000 — 25,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's

of square form with indented corners resting on a short foot, the raised domed cover painted in underglaze blue with a pair of dragons confronting a central shou character enclosed within a circle, all amid cloud swirls and above foaming waves crashing against rockwork, surrounded by a further frieze of four dragons striding amongst clouds and flames at the corners on the rounded sides, repeated on the box, the rims decorated with bands of scrolling lingzhi, the base with a six-character reign mark. Quantité: 2 - 24 cm, 9 3/8  in.

Notes: Notable for the dynamic motif of striding dragons painted in vibrant and deep cobalt, it is unusual to find boxes of this type with a shou character in a roundel, which is more commonly painted within an auspicious peach. See for example a Wanli mark and period box, sold in these rooms, 10th July 1979, lot 146; another sold in our New York rooms, 19th November 1982, lot 246; and a third sold at Christie’s New York, 5th June 1986, lot 291.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, London, 09 nov. 2016, 11:30 AM