A Green-Glazed Blue and White Ovoid 'Dragon' Jar. Qianlong Seal Mark In Underglaze Blue And Of The Period (1736-1795). photo Christie's Ltd 2011

Painted in underglaze blue line with two five-clawed dragons striding amidst clouds and flames in pursuit of flaming pearls above a petal lappet band and below a band of the bajixiangon the shoulder, all under a glaze of soft emerald-green color. 7¾ in. (19.7 cm.) high, wood cover. Estimate $30,000 - $50,000 - Price Realized $122,500

Provenance: Thomas George Shaughnessy, 1st Baron Shaughnessy (1853-1923).
Sir William Cornelius Van Horne (1843-1915), and thence by descent within the family.

Notes: Thomas George Shaughnessy (1853-1923) rose from modest beginnings to serve as president of the Canadian Pacific Railway from 1899-1918. In 1916, in recognition of his responsible management of the CPR and its contributions to the war effort during the Great War, he was elevated to Baron Shaughnessy, of the City of Montreal in the Dominion of Canada and of Ashford in the County of Limerick.

Compare the similar Qianlong-marked jar with cover in the National Palace Museum, Taiwan, illustrated in Enamelled Ware of the Ch'ing Dynasty, Book II, Hong Kong, 1969, pl. 13; and another illustrated in The S.C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, Hong Kong, 1987, Part I, pl. 114. See, also, the similar jar sold in these rooms, 26 March 2010, lot 1403.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Part I & II,  15 - 16 September 2011. New York, Rockefeller Plaza. www.christies.com