Lot 128. A blue and white 'dragon' vase, meiping, 18th century; 30cm (11 3/4in) high. (2). Sold for HKD 242,250 (Est: HKD 250,000 - HKD 500,000). © Bonhams 2001-2022

Elegantly potted with curved sides gently rising to generous rounded shoulders surmounted by a short waisted neck, slightly indented, and a lipped rim, boldly painted around the body in vibrant cobalt-blue with a four-clawed dragon chasing a flaming pearl amidst scrolling ruyi head clouds and flames over crashing waves around the foot, all below a band of clouds around the neck, the footring left unglazed, box.

Provenance: Sotheby's London, 5 November 2014, lot 247.

Note: Considering the writhing four-clawed mang dragon depicted on the present meiping vase, it is likely to have been commissioned by an Imperial prince or nobility of equally ranked status since the 'four-clawed dragon' motif was reserved only for this group to use. The unusual design on its neck and shoulder relates to a fascinating group of apple-shaped water pots made in the Kangxi period. See also a clair-de-lune-glazed water pot in the Baur Collection, illustrated in A Millenium of Monochromes from the Great Tang to the High Qing: The Baur and the Zhuyuetang Collections, Geneva, 2018, p.220, no.82.

Bonhams. GANBEI A TOAST TO CHINESE WINE CULTURE, 30 November 2022, Hong Kong, Admiralty