Gold-Ground Bowl with Dragon Décor in Iron Red, Qing Dynasty. Estimate : 1 000 € / 1 350 €. Photo Auctionata

Deep bowl on a round base rim. The wall is embellished with a five clawed dragon amidst dense flower tendrils. The foot is ornate with a revolving meander border and the top edge is adorned with a stylized wave pattern. The inside of the bowl and the base are glazed in turquoise color. Base with the four-character Qianlong mark - Diameter: 14.5 cm. Height: 7.5 cm. Good condition 

Dragon 

The dragon is in East Asia one of most depicted mythical creatures with an ambivalent meaning. The oldest presentations come from the Neolithic period and show a snake-like creature. Since the Han dynasty (206 BC to 220 AD) the five clawed dragon is the emblematic animal for the emperor. Since the Song Dynasty (960-1279) the dragon is known as long and is a symbol of the spring, the water and the rain. It is associated with the active principle Yang and in connection with the phoenix (fenghuang), the tortoise (gui) and the Unicorn (qilin) the dragon is one of the ‘four wonders animals’ (siling). A dragon has magical powers, so it is said in the legends. The latter is extremely durable and has the gift of metamorphosis. 

AUCTIONATA AG, 10719 BERLIN. Important Art d'Asie, le 20 Juin 2015 à 14h00