Lot 3302. A magnificent and extremely rare iron-red and underglaze-blue 'Dragon' bottle vase, Seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795); 25 cm, 9 7/8  in. Estimate 20,000,000 — 25,000,000 HKD. Lot sold 28,200,000 HKD. Photo Sotheby's

exquisitely potted with a globular body surmounted by a tall tubular neck with an everted gilt mouthrim, the exterior brilliantly enamelled in varying tones of iron-red with a five-clawed dragon writhing sinuously and reaching for a 'flaming pearl' with a ferocious expression accentuated with piercing eyes and clenched jaws, the mythical beast portrayed with finely rendered windswept mane and well-defined scales, its serpentine body coiling amidst flame wisps and ruyi-shaped cloud scrolls rendered in shaded tones of iron-red and cobalt-blue respectively, all above crashing waves encircling the foot, the interior and countersunk base enamelled turquoise, the latter centred with an underglaze-blue six-character seal mark within a white cartouche.

Note: An exquisite imperial vase from the Qianlong period, the present piece is probably unique, with no other comparable examples known to exist. There is, however, a closely related Qianlong-marked tianqiuping in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, similarly painted in iron-red enamel with five dragons, but striding through cobalt-blue scrolls of stylised lotus, included in the Museum exhibition Shi quan Qianlong: Qing Gaozong de yi shu pin wei/The All Complete Qianlong: the Aesthetic Tastes of the Qing Emperor Gaozong, Taipei, 2013, pl. II-3.46.

Inspired by the form of Islamic metalwares from Central Asia, vases of tianqiuping form, often painted in underglaze blue with ferocious dragons, were produced during the Yongle and Xuande periods of the Ming dynasty, and revived in the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods of the Qing. Delicately potted to recall the majestic shape of a tianqiuping, yet of a much smaller size and with a gently elongated neck, the present vase is a pleasure both to see and to touch. The present vase further bears the quintessential imperial symbol of a five-clawed dragon with a pair of horns extending backwards. Whether in cobalt blue or copper red, the majority of dragons painted on tianqiuping vases from the Yongle, Xuande, Yongzheng and Qianlong periods have their heads turned to the left; a right-facing dragon as seen on the current vase is highly unusual. The juxtaposition of the brilliant purplish blue and the bright vermillion red creates a particularly pleasing aesthetic contrast. Brought alive by the confident brushstrokes, the proud dragon is splendidly highlighted against the spiralling clouds, precisely recalling the ethereal dragon as the supreme symbol of imperial power.

The combination of iron-red and cobalt-blue decoration on porcelains, which probably first appeared in the Xuande period, was revived in the late Ming dynasty and again in the Qing. This colour scheme was rarely used, however, possibly due to the difficulty of the firing process. The blue decoration, seen on the scrolling clouds on this vase, was painted in underglaze cobalt blue first and then fired to a high temperature. Following this, the potter applied a further motif to complete the design – the leaping dragon on this vase – in iron-red enamel over the glaze, and re-fired the vessel for the second time at a lower temperature. The second firing, known as ‘muffle firing’ or petit feu, unavoidably increased the cost and risk of failure. No other example of the same shape and iron-red decorated motif as the present vase appears to have been recorded.

Red dragons on Yongzheng and Qianlong vases of the classical tianqiuping form are more commonly painted in underglaze copper red than overglaze iron-red enamel. See for instance two tianqiuping vases executed in underglaze blue and red – a Yongzheng example painted with a dragon among waves and a Qianlong-marked one decorated with a dragon among clouds and waves – published together in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (III), Shanghai, 2000, pls. 197 and 210. See also a similar Yongzheng-marked tianqiuping, sold three times in these rooms, 2nd May 1995, lot 118, 7th May 2002, lot 580, and 31st October 2004, lot 25, and included in Sotheby’s Thirty Years in Hong Kong: 1973-2003, Hong Kong, 2003, pl. 283. See yet another Qianlong-marked tianqiuping, sold three times in these rooms, 29th October 1991, lot 192, 27th April 2003, lot 48, 31st October 2004, lot 22, published in Sotheby's Hong Kong, Twenty Years: 1973-1992, Hong Kong, 1993, pl. 198, in The Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1991, pl. 96 and yet again in The Tsui Museum of Art. Chinese Ceramics IV: Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 1995, pl. 83 (fig. 1).

Sotheby's. Dragon Emperor, Hong Kong, 05 October 2016