Lot 806. A very rare wucai 'dragon' garlic-mouth vase, Mark and period of Wanli (1573-1620); 43.5 cm. Lot Sold 5,080,000 HKD (Estimate 800,000 - 1,600,000 HKD) © Sotheby's 2025

sturdily potted with a tall pear-shaped body rising from a tall base to a garlic-bulb mouth, the exterior decorated with two pairs of five-clawed dragons writhing in pursuit of flaming pearls amidst scrolling foliage, enclosed between a keyfret band and a floral chevron border, the waisted neck adorned with two gnarled flowering trees, with birds fluttering nearby and separated by clusters of flowers emerging from small rockworks, the mouth encircled with a lotus scroll and a classic scroll at the rim, inscribed with a horizontal six-character reign mark within a cartouche
 

Provenance: Sotheby's Los Angeles, 2nd November 1981, lot 304 and cover.
Collection of the Chang Foundation, Taipei.
 

Exhibited: Treasures from the Chang Foundation, National Museum of Chinese History, Beijing, 1996, cat. no. 26.
 

Literature: Chang Foundation Inaugural Catalogue, Chang Foundation, Taipei, 1990, p. 50.
Selected Chinese Ceramics from Han to Qing Dynasties, Chang Foundation, Taipei, 1990, cat. no. 110.
 

Note: Wucai porcelain of the Wanli period (1573-1620) represents one of the most resplendent achievements of the Ming dynasty, characterised by sumptuous decoration, bold palettes, and lively compositions. Among the finest examples are garlic-mouthed vases, whose distinctive form derives from ancient bronze prototypes, and whose surfaces are enlivened with brilliantly painted designs.
 

The present vase, magnificent in scale and potting, is decorated with animated dragons swirling across the body, their graceful movements heightened by richly coloured floral scrolls and flaming pearls which provide a dynamic and auspicious backdrop. The contrast between the vigorous dragons on the main register and the more refined imagery of birds and blossoms on the neck reflects both technical mastery and artistic sensitivity. Such designs were closely aligned with imperial taste, with dragons in particular serving as potent emblems of authority and longevity, also frequently seen in contemporary textiles and court art; see Jessica Harrison-Hall, Catalogue of Late Yuan and Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, p. 335.
 

Vases of this type are exceptionally rare and have long attracted the interest of scholars and collectors. Notable examples are preserved in major collections worldwide, including one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Imperial Porcelains from the Reign of Jiajing, Longqing and Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, vol. II, Beijing, 2018, pl. 391, with lingzhi scrolls to the neck; another preserved in the Palace Museum, Taipei, published in Minji meihin zuroku, vol. III, Tokyo, 1978, pl. 99; and another formerly in the Lindley Scott Collection, later in the Avery Brundage collection, illustrated in Soame Jenyns, Ming Pottery and Porcelain, London, 1988, pl. 187. Also compare a larger vase of related dragon design housed at the Fondation Baur, Geneva, published in John Ayers, The Baur Collection, vol. II, Geneva, 1969, pl. A203.
 

While the present twin-dragon design is among the most coveted of wucai decorations, other design variations are also well attested on vases of this form, including matched pairs of dragons and phoenix— symbolic of cosmic harmony. Compare one such example in the Matsuoka Museum of Art, Tokyo, published in Toyo toji meihin zuroku [Catalogue of masterpieces of Oriental ceramics], Matsuoka Bijutsukan, Tokyo, 1991, pl. 94; and another from the collection of A. A. Ballard, sold at Christie’s London, 9th June 1975, lot 79. Other vases of this type bear designs of birds and waterfowl, including a pair in the Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Tokyo, included in Imperial Overglaze-Enamelled Wares in the Late Ming Dynasty, Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, 1995, cat. no. 22; and another in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Imperial Porcelains, op. cit., pl. 394, alongside a larger (54.5 cm) example of related design. Also compare two further larger examples of waterfowl design in the Palace Museum, Taipei, in Minji meihin zuroku, op. cit, pl. 100, and Liu Liang-yu, Ming Official Wares, Taipei, 1991, p. 255 (top right) respectively; and another slightly smaller (40.3cm) example decorated with swimming fish, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, Imperial Porcelains, op. cit., pl. 395.
 

The enduring appeal of Wanli wucai garlic-mouthed vases lies in their synthesis of technical virtuosity, symbolic power, and historical resonance. They stand as striking testaments to the opulence of late Ming courtly taste, embodying both the grandeur of imperial patronage and the creative vitality of Jingdezhen’s potters – swirling with life and marked with the eternal symbol of the Emperor himself; the benevolent five-clawed dragon.

Sotheby's. Imperial Connoisseurship Treasures of Chinese Art from A Prestigious Collection, Hong Kong, 21 November 2025