Lot 529. A blue and white 'dragon' jar, Joseon dynasty, early 19th century. Height 15 3/4  in., 40 cm. Estimate 20,000 — 30,000 USD. Lot Sold 75,000 USD. © Sotheby's.

of ovoid form, vividly painted in underglaze blue with four-clawed dragons among clouds, all decorated with a blue-tinged transparent glaze, Japanese wood box (3).

Note: Broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted jars such as the present example were popular in Korea during the 17th-19th centuries when they were used as storage vessels or as vases for monumental floral displays at banquets and ceremonies. The rarest and most desirable examples were adorned with majestic striding dragons and have come to be known as yongjun (dragon jars). Compare a similar jar in the Ho-Am Art Museum included in the exhibition Art of Animals (3): Dragon, exhibition catalogue, Samsung Art and Culture Foundation, Seoul, 2000, cat. no 47.