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Lot Essay
Few designs encapsulate the power and importance of the reigning emperor more vividly than that seen on this magnificent Qianlong dish. In the centre of the dish is a commanding long dragon with prominent horns and five-clawed feet, which is depicted rearing up with its head facing forward and its body coiled around a circular version of the shou (longevity) character. The dragon is amongst clouds, which on the one hand emphasise the relationship with Heaven, but also symbolize the granting of wishes. Four more five-clawed, horned dragons decorate the cavetto of the dish. These are shown in profile striding around the central medallion. All four dragons are processing in the same direction, giving a harmonious balance to the design, but alternate dragons’ heads turn back to look over their shoulders at the dragon behind them – providing an effective visual link between them. These four cavetto dragons are also depicted amongst clouds.
Around the flattened rim of the dish is a well-painted band of waves of the type which developed from the turbulent waves on early 15th century blue and white porcelains. As the rolling waves between the white areas of spume are predominantly painted in deep blue, this band provides a good contrast to the design in the cavetto and interior medallion of the dish. In addition, the waves provide a reminder of the fact that the dragon is believed to rise from the waves at the spring equinox in order to bring rain to water the crops and ensure the prosperity of the empire. On the underside of the dish is a band of more complex waves punctuated, at eight equidistant points, by tall rocky outcrops. This is the same essential composition as is seen on the lower portion of imperial dragon robes. The waves suggest a river, while the rocks suggest mountains, and as such represent the kingdom. Specifically, the notion is of a united realm – shanghe yitong (may the kingdom be unified); jiangshan yitong (rivers and mountains under one unified rule); or tianxia guiyi (all under Heaven governed as one). Taken as a whole, the decoration on this dish highlights the importance and power of the emperor as Son of Heaven, his responsibility as an intermediary with Heaven to provide rain to water the crops and ensure a good harvest, and his role as the ruler of a unified nation at peace.
Large dishes of this type decorated in the finest cobalt by highly skilled ceramic artists are rare, and it seems likely that they were made for a grand imperial banquet, possibly following the completion of an important ritual conducted by the emperor. The design is also seen on rare Yongzheng examples such as that included in the Exhibition of Ming and Ch’ing Porcelain from the Collection of the T.Y. Chao Family Foundation, Hong Kong, 1978, no. 81. However, the more usual Yongzheng dragon design on large dishes shows a winged dragon in the central medallion amongst floral scrolls, and only two long dragons in the cavetto, also amongst floral scrolls. An example of this winged dragon Yongzheng type was sold by Christie’s New York on 22 March 2007, lot 336. A dish of similar size and decoration to the current to the current dish from the collection of the Royal Ontario Museum was included in the exhibition Silk Roads – China Ships, Toronto, 1983, p. 229, where it was dated to the early 18th century.
A Qianlong dish of similar size and design to the current example is in the Gulexuan Collection, illustrated by R. Krahl and C. von Spee, Chinese Ceramics from the Gulexuan Collection, Lünen, 2003, p. 157, no. 123. Another Qianlong dish of this design was sold by Christie’s New York on 19 September 1996, lot 283, and was sold again by Christie’s Hong Kong on 30 April 2000, lot 599. A further Qianlong example was sold by Christie’s New York on 24 March 2011, lot 1667.
The current dish was acquired in Asia in the early 20th century and has passed to the current owners by descent. The dish can be seen hung in pride of place on the wall of the family home in a photograph taken in the 1910s.
Around the flattened rim of the dish is a well-painted band of waves of the type which developed from the turbulent waves on early 15th century blue and white porcelains. As the rolling waves between the white areas of spume are predominantly painted in deep blue, this band provides a good contrast to the design in the cavetto and interior medallion of the dish. In addition, the waves provide a reminder of the fact that the dragon is believed to rise from the waves at the spring equinox in order to bring rain to water the crops and ensure the prosperity of the empire. On the underside of the dish is a band of more complex waves punctuated, at eight equidistant points, by tall rocky outcrops. This is the same essential composition as is seen on the lower portion of imperial dragon robes. The waves suggest a river, while the rocks suggest mountains, and as such represent the kingdom. Specifically, the notion is of a united realm – shanghe yitong (may the kingdom be unified); jiangshan yitong (rivers and mountains under one unified rule); or tianxia guiyi (all under Heaven governed as one). Taken as a whole, the decoration on this dish highlights the importance and power of the emperor as Son of Heaven, his responsibility as an intermediary with Heaven to provide rain to water the crops and ensure a good harvest, and his role as the ruler of a unified nation at peace.
Large dishes of this type decorated in the finest cobalt by highly skilled ceramic artists are rare, and it seems likely that they were made for a grand imperial banquet, possibly following the completion of an important ritual conducted by the emperor. The design is also seen on rare Yongzheng examples such as that included in the Exhibition of Ming and Ch’ing Porcelain from the Collection of the T.Y. Chao Family Foundation, Hong Kong, 1978, no. 81. However, the more usual Yongzheng dragon design on large dishes shows a winged dragon in the central medallion amongst floral scrolls, and only two long dragons in the cavetto, also amongst floral scrolls. An example of this winged dragon Yongzheng type was sold by Christie’s New York on 22 March 2007, lot 336. A dish of similar size and decoration to the current to the current dish from the collection of the Royal Ontario Museum was included in the exhibition Silk Roads – China Ships, Toronto, 1983, p. 229, where it was dated to the early 18th century.
A Qianlong dish of similar size and design to the current example is in the Gulexuan Collection, illustrated by R. Krahl and C. von Spee, Chinese Ceramics from the Gulexuan Collection, Lünen, 2003, p. 157, no. 123. Another Qianlong dish of this design was sold by Christie’s New York on 19 September 1996, lot 283, and was sold again by Christie’s Hong Kong on 30 April 2000, lot 599. A further Qianlong example was sold by Christie’s New York on 24 March 2011, lot 1667.
The current dish was acquired in Asia in the early 20th century and has passed to the current owners by descent. The dish can be seen hung in pride of place on the wall of the family home in a photograph taken in the 1910s.