An underglaze-blue and iron-red 'dragon' dish. Qianlong seal mark and of the period

Painted to the interior with a medallion enclosing a writhing five-clawed dragon in iron-red against a ground of underglaze-blue waves, the rim encircled with double lines, the exterior rendered with a frieze of nine dragons in different poses on a similar wave ground, all between a border of demi-florettes encircling the rim and pairs of double lines round the foot, the mark centred on the glazed base, fitted box. 17.4cm (6 3/4in) diam. (2). Sold for HK$144,000

Footnote: The motif of a dragon against a ground of breaking waves has been popular since the Ming dynasty, and dishes with this design in underglaze-blue and iron red can be found with reign marks of almost all the emperors of the Qing dynasty. Those with Qianlong marks have been included in the exhibitions Ch'ing Porcelain from the Wah Kwong Collection, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 1973, no. 70, and the Arts of the Ch'ing Dynasty, Oriental Ceramic Society, 1964, no. 235.

A similar dish, but with a Jiaqing mark is illustrated by Xu Huping in Treasures in the Royalty: The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, p. 371.

清乾隆 青花海水礬紅龍紋盤 六字篆書款

Bonhams. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 4 Dec 2008. Hong Kong. Copyright © 2002-2008 Bonhams 1793 Ltd., Images and Text All Rights Reserved - www.bonhams.com