Lot 2812. A very rare blue and white ‘dragon’ C-handled vase, Yuan dynasty (1279-1368); 16.8 cm high. Price realised HKD 4,032,000 (Estimate HKD 3,500,000 – HKD 5,500,000). © Christie's Images Ltd 2023.

Provenance: Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Tokyo.

Literature: Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, no. 625.

Note: ThisIt is very rare to find Yuan dynasty vases decorated with white dragon reserved on a ground of waves. Compare to a Yuan blue and white octagonal vase excavated in 1964 from the hoard at Yonghua South road, Baoding city, now in the Palace Museum, Beijing, which is decorated with dragon and phoenix against a dense wave-ground (fig. 1) , see Complete Collection of Ceramic Art Unearthed in China, volume 3, Beijing, 2008, no. 219.

This motif of dragon on wave ground can also be found on other Yuan dynasty ceramics and works of art. Compare to a painted Cizhou ‘dragon’ jar in the Cleveland Museum. Compare also a Yuan silver ‘dragon’ cup and cup stand excavated in 1996 from Baizhi village, Linli county, now in the Hunan Museum.

Christie's. IMPORTANT CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, Hong Kong, 30.11.2023