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Lot Essay
This exceptionally rare tianqiuping exemplifies the distinctive characteristics and essence of both Ming and Qing imperial porcelains at its finest, with its robustly potted body and vibrantly painted nine dragons, showcasing the refinement and creativity. Only one other similar tianqiuping is known, also decorated with nine dragons in a comparable style, arrangement and bears a six-character Yongzheng mark on the neck below the mouth rim, is in the collection of the Tianjing Museum, illustrated on its official website (fig. 1).
The present vase draws inspiration from Ming prototypes while integrating stylistic developments and aesthetics of the Qing imperial court, particularly evident in its form and dragon depictions. Unlike typical globular vases featuring a solitary dragon, this vase presents an extraordinary composition of four three-clawed dragons alongside five five-clawed dragons, each with distinct features and dynamic postures writhing amidst flames and crashing waves, emphasising movement and vitality.
The iconography of certain dragons can be traced to Ming precedents. The three-clawed dragon with an elephantine nose on the present vase bears resemblance to dragons from both Xuande and Chenghua periods; see the makara dragon on a Chenghua doucai jar, illustrated in Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Ch’eng Hua Porcelain Ware, 1465-1487, Taipei, 2003, p. 127, no. 113. (fig. 2). For the two winged dragons, comparison can be made to a Chenghua blue and white dish decorated with a similar dragon in the center as the main motif, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Blue and White Porcelains with Underglaze Red (II), Hong Kong, 2000, p. 12, no. 10 (fig. 3). Historical records from the Qing court's tribute list indicate that on the 5th day of the 8th month in the 45th year of the Qianlong reign, and again on the 28th day of the 12th month in the 4th year of the Jiaqing reign, a pair of blue and white 'nine-dragon' tianqiuping was sent to the court, described as emulating the Chenghua style of the Ming dynasty. It is highly plausible that the present vase, in conjunction with the Tianjing Museum vase, constitutes this referenced pair.
In addition to its emulation of Ming dragon motifs, the present vase also embodies the strength and power of early Qing dragons. The uprising dragon bears a striking similitudes to one on a Kangxi-marked blue and white dish in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, collection number: zhongci002947N (fig. 4). The expression of all dragons are imbued with a remarkable dynamism, an emblem of the Yongzheng period. This can be further compared to a Yongzheng-marked tianqiuping decorated in both underglaze blue and iron-red with a single sinuous three-clawed dragons, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 November 2023, lot 2840 (fig. 5).
Furthermore, the stylistic lineage of the present vase underscores the vase’s importance and served as a canonical model for later emulation. According to Qing Dang (Qing Archives), in the third year of the Qianlong reign (1738), exemplary porcelains of Kangxi and Yongzheng periods were presented to the court- among them, “a single Xuande-style blue and white tianqiuping painted with enlarged dragon motifs” was submitted for the explicit purpose of commissioning similar works. This archival record finds direct corroboration in a closely comparable Qianlong blue and white tianqiuping painted with nine dragons, illustrated by Yeo and Martin, Chinese Blue and White Ceramics, Singapore, 1978, pp. 34-35, fig. 19 (fig. 6).
The present vase draws inspiration from Ming prototypes while integrating stylistic developments and aesthetics of the Qing imperial court, particularly evident in its form and dragon depictions. Unlike typical globular vases featuring a solitary dragon, this vase presents an extraordinary composition of four three-clawed dragons alongside five five-clawed dragons, each with distinct features and dynamic postures writhing amidst flames and crashing waves, emphasising movement and vitality.
The iconography of certain dragons can be traced to Ming precedents. The three-clawed dragon with an elephantine nose on the present vase bears resemblance to dragons from both Xuande and Chenghua periods; see the makara dragon on a Chenghua doucai jar, illustrated in Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Ch’eng Hua Porcelain Ware, 1465-1487, Taipei, 2003, p. 127, no. 113. (fig. 2). For the two winged dragons, comparison can be made to a Chenghua blue and white dish decorated with a similar dragon in the center as the main motif, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Blue and White Porcelains with Underglaze Red (II), Hong Kong, 2000, p. 12, no. 10 (fig. 3). Historical records from the Qing court's tribute list indicate that on the 5th day of the 8th month in the 45th year of the Qianlong reign, and again on the 28th day of the 12th month in the 4th year of the Jiaqing reign, a pair of blue and white 'nine-dragon' tianqiuping was sent to the court, described as emulating the Chenghua style of the Ming dynasty. It is highly plausible that the present vase, in conjunction with the Tianjing Museum vase, constitutes this referenced pair.
In addition to its emulation of Ming dragon motifs, the present vase also embodies the strength and power of early Qing dragons. The uprising dragon bears a striking similitudes to one on a Kangxi-marked blue and white dish in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, collection number: zhongci002947N (fig. 4). The expression of all dragons are imbued with a remarkable dynamism, an emblem of the Yongzheng period. This can be further compared to a Yongzheng-marked tianqiuping decorated in both underglaze blue and iron-red with a single sinuous three-clawed dragons, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 November 2023, lot 2840 (fig. 5).
Furthermore, the stylistic lineage of the present vase underscores the vase’s importance and served as a canonical model for later emulation. According to Qing Dang (Qing Archives), in the third year of the Qianlong reign (1738), exemplary porcelains of Kangxi and Yongzheng periods were presented to the court- among them, “a single Xuande-style blue and white tianqiuping painted with enlarged dragon motifs” was submitted for the explicit purpose of commissioning similar works. This archival record finds direct corroboration in a closely comparable Qianlong blue and white tianqiuping painted with nine dragons, illustrated by Yeo and Martin, Chinese Blue and White Ceramics, Singapore, 1978, pp. 34-35, fig. 19 (fig. 6).