Lot 501. A pair of rare and large 'Dragon' dishes, Kangxi marks and period (1662-1722). Estimate 30,000 — 50,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

each with shallow rounded sides rising to a flared rim from a short, tapered foot, the interior with a large central medallion of two fierce five-clawed dragons in mutual pursuit of 'flaming pearls' among stylized clouds and flames, the motif repeated on the cavetto, the exterior similarly decorated, all reserved on a ground of rich cobalt blue, the base with a six-character mark within a double-circle in underglaze blue (2). Diameter 14 3/8  in., 36.5 cm

Provenance: Collection of Edward Collings Knight, Sr. (1813-1892), Philadelphia.
Acquired in Boston in the 1940s-60s, and thence by descent. 

Note: In this large size painted with a dragon motif, there appear to be two types of Kangxi period imperial dishes, those with a single centralized dragon of which many are applied with yellow or green enamel, including one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Qingdai yuyao ciqi, vol.1, Beijing, pp. 138-141, pl. 36, and the rarer of the two, depicting contesting dragons as in the present examples. Compare a similar dish from the Collection of Alfred Guntermann, sold at Christie's New York, 18th September 2014, lot 854.

The present dishes bear the signature of E.C. Knight, a highly successful entrepreneur who made his fortune in sugar refineries and in the transportation industry. Born in New Jersey, he spent most of his adult life in Philadelphia where his philanthropy and civic mindedness have left an enduring mark.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 15 Mar 2017, 10:30 AM