JIAJING SIX-CHARACTER MARK AND OF THE PERIOD (1522-1566)

Details

A FINE AND VERY RARE BLUE AND WHITE REVERSE-DECORATED 'DRAGON' BOWL
JIAJING SIX-CHARACTER MARK AND OF THE PERIOD (1522-1566)
The well-potted bowl has deep upright sides, boldly decorated on the interior with a central dragon medallion encircled by double-line borders and interlocking scrolls and fruit-like sprigs, a wide band of continuously scrolling lingzhi at the rim beneath further double-line borders, all reserved against an inky-blue ground. The exterior is decorated with a frieze of two scaly dragons in pursuit of 'flaming pearls' amidst cloud and flame scrolls above a lappet collar encircling the foot ring washed in blue.
6 7/8 in. (17.5 cm.) wide

Provenance

The property of a gentleman, sold at Christie's London, 3 November 2009, lot 293

Brought to you by

Angela Kung

Check the condition report or get in touch for additional information about this

akung@christies.com +852 2978 6734

If you wish to view the condition report of this lot, please sign in to your account.

View condition report

Lot Essay

This unusual type of reverse decoration is a very distinctive technique of the Jiajing period. With the exception of only one other Jiajing-marked bowl of this size and decoration, sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 19 November 1986, lot 212, no other bowl-form examples are known. Compare two other dishes similarly decorated with cranes in flight below a Shou (longevity) character: the first is in the Idemitsu Museum Collection illustrated in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, vol. II, Tokyo, 1987, no. 706; and another dish formerly in the Avery Brundage Collection, now in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, illustrated by He Li, Chinese Ceramics, A New Comprehensive Survey, 1996, no. 421, p. 244.

More from The Imperial Sale

View All