An imperial yellow-glazed blue ground saucer dragon dish. Qianlong seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period. photo Nagel Auctions

The interior decorated with a central medallion of a dragon leaping amidst clouds and flames in pursuit of a flaming pearl, encircled by a single-line border and a similar frieze in the well which is repeated on the exterior above a band of petal lappets, all reserved in yellow on an underglaze-blue, wash ground, rim ground

Property from a Belgium private collection

Other Qianlong dishes of this pattern are in the National Palace Museum, Taiwan, included in the Special Exhibition of Dragon-Motif Porcelain, 1983, Catalogue no. 76; in the Jaehne Collection, included in the exhibition, Chinese Art from the Newark Museum, China Institute, New York, 1980, Catalogue, no. 41; in the Kunstmuseum, Dusseldorf, Exhibition of Chinese Ceramics, 1965, Catalogue, no. 202; and in the Yokogawa Collection, now in the Tokyo National Museum, illustrated in Old Oriental Ceramics, 1953, no. 336

Two small old repaired chips to mouth rim, enamel flakes. D. 25,3 cm - Estimate 6 000 €

Nagel Auctions. Asian Art. November 5th 2011. www.auction.de