Lot 21. A blue and white ‘Dragon’ fish bowl, Jiajing mark and period (1522-1566); 74.2cm., 29 ¼in. Estimate 60,000 — 80,000 GBP. Lot sold 74,500 GBP. Photo: Sotheby’s.

the deep tapering sides rising to an everted rim, boldly painted to the exterior with two winged dragons striding amongst cloud scrolls chasing flaming pearls above tumultuous waves, the rim inscribed with a horizontal six-character reign mark.

Note: The present fishbowl is remarkable for its lively scene of winged dragons flying above crested waves. Two closely related examples are known; one in the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, was included in the Museum’s exhibition Chinese Ceramics, Sydney, 1965, cat. no. 85; and the other was sold in these rooms, 31st May 1989, lot 82. The difficulties encountered by the Jingdezhen potters in manufacturing such large vessels are mentioned in the Jingdezhen Taolu (An Account of Ceramic Production at Jingdezhen) which records that after firing a large number of these vessels  ‘there were also many that had been ruined, crushed flat, spoilt or squashed’ (see The Fame of Flame. Imperial Wares of the Jiajing and Wanli Periods, Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2009, p. 120).

Fishbowls of this form are more commonly known painted with five-clawed dragons chasing a flaming pearl amongst clouds; see one illustrated in Lu Minghua, Mingdai guanyao ciqi [Ming imperial porcelain], Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, 2007, pl. 3-84; another included in the exhibition Enlightening Elegance. Imperial Porcelain of the Mid to Late Ming. The Huaihaitang Collection, Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2012, cat. no. 17; a fishbowl sold in these rooms, 12th November 2003, lot 153; and a fourth example sold at Christie’s New York, 19th September 1996, lot 266. Compare also a fishbowl painted with dragons striding amongst scrolling lotuses, from the collections of Douglas Oliver and the Palmer Museum of Art, The Pennsylvania State University, sold twice in our New York rooms, 20th March 1976, lot 118, and again, 23rd March 2004, lot 640.