A RARE LARGE DOUCAI 'DRAGON AND PHOENIX' VASE, YUHUCHUNPING QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD

THIS IS A PREMIUM LOT.   CLIENTS WHO WISH TO BID ON PREMIUM LOTS ARE REQUESTED TO COMPLETE THE PREMIUM LOT PRE-REGISTRATION 3 WORKING DAYS PRIOR TO THE SALE.




the pear-shaped body supported on a slightly splayed foot and tapering gracefully below a wide trumpet mouth, painted around the sides in brilliant doucai enamels with a scaly five-clawed dragon and phoenix in mid-flight, the dragon striding in pursuit of a 'flaming pearl', with the phoenix prancing above, its long feathery wings and tail fluttering, all amid a dense ground of a composite floral meander, the large elaborate blooms wreathed by slender stems and a myriad of feathery leaves, with upright red and yellow petals around the foot, and a green keyfret band inside the mouthrim 

Acquired in France.

It is rare to find the 'dragon and phoenix' design on doucai yuhuchunping, although this motif can be found on meiping-shaped vases, such as the piece, from the Buchanan-Jardine collection, included in the Catalogue of the International Exhibition of Chinese Art 1935-36, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1936, cat.no. 2177. Another meiping decorated with the same design in the doucai technique was sold in our London rooms 12th July 2006, lot 128; and a pair, from the Qing Court collection is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 237. 

See also a doucai double-gourd vase similarly painted with the dragon and phoenix design sold in these rooms, 26th October 2003, lot 4; and a Qianlong doucai yuhuchunping decorated with the design of children at play included in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, ibid., pl. 250.

Doucai decoration, whereby the motif is outlined in blue under the glaze and coloured over the glaze with enamel colours within the blue lines, is derived from the cloisonné technique of the Ming period.  The technique of producing doucai wares was developed in the Chenghua period (1426-35) as can be seen from the wonderful Chenghua chicken cups and stembowls. Doucai wares continued to be appreciated for their understated elegance and for their association with Chenghua porcelain during the Qing dynasty and were especially favoured by the Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors.