of oblong form, the flat cover painted with a writhing dragon amid flame wisps in pursuit of a 'Flaming Pearl', the long sides of the box each with striding chilong with curving bifurcated tail and grasping a long-stemmed lotus bloom and divided by auspicious emblems, the box exterior similarly decorated, the interior with three circular and one shaped oblong compartment (2), coll. no. 206.

The Jie Rui Tang Collection.

Provenance: Collection of Edgar (c.1880-1972) and Hedwig (c.1893-1987) Worch, from 1938.
Christie's New York, 2nd June 1994, lot 400.
The Chinese Porcelain Company, New York.

Exhibited: Famille Verte Porcelain of the Kangxi Period, The Chinese Porcelain Company, New York, 1994, cat. no. 23.

Literature: The Chinese Porcelain Company, A Dealer's Record 1985-2000, New York, 2000, p. 121.

Note: The present elongated form with rounded ends is modeled after an Islamic metal prototype known from the 13th century, which was often richly chased and inlaid with gold and silver. Originally closely modeled after the Islamic form, the shape gradually changed to suit the requirements of Chinese calligraphers. Furthermore, decoration on pen boxes include motifs that conveyed auspicious messages, as seen on the present example. Chinese porcelain interpretations of the form were first made at the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen during the early Ming dynasty and continued to be popular well into the Qing dynasty.

Similar examples include a green-ground box with dragons from the Qing Court Collection illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Miscellaneous Enamelled Porcelains Plain Tricoloured Porcelains, Hong Kong 2009, pl. 217 and a yellow-ground example with phoenix in the Palace Museum, Beijing illustrated in Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong, Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum, Hong Kong 1989, pl. 102. A white-ground example with dragon motif from the collection of Sir Alfred Beit was sold in our London rooms on 6th November 2013, lot 86.

From the collection of Sir Alfred Beit. A famille-verte ‘dragon’ biscuit pen box and cover, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period (1662-1722); 21.7cm., 8 1/2 in. Sold for 15,000 GBP at Sotehby's London, 6th November 2013, lot 86. Photo: Sotheby's 2013

Sotheby's. KANGXI: The Jie Rui Tang Collection, New York, 20 March 2018, 11:00 AM