A BLUE AND WHITE 'DRAGON' BOTTLE VASE SEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG

the finely potted pear-shaped body rising from a flared foot to a wide flaring mouth, superbly painted in underglaze-blue with two pairs of opposing archaistic kui dragons, with a bat suspending a sprig of peaches hovering above each pair, set amid dense interlocking foliate scrolls issuing lotus blooms, all between ruyi heads at the shoulder and upright lappets at the base, the neck decorated with four confronting pairs of kui dragons, their limbs and tails interlocked amid lotus sprays, above a keyfret band at the shoulder and below a band of ruyi heads at the rim, the base inscribed with the six-character seal mark in underglaze-blue

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 21st May 1980, lot 182.

The Leshantang Collection of Chinese Porcelain, Taipei, 2005, cat.no. 32.

The vase is in very good condition overall.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

It is extremely rare to find Qianlong mark and period vases of this elegant bottle form decorated in underglaze blue only, although a similar piece, possibly the pair to the present vase, was sold at Christie's New York, 6th November 1980, lot 359. 

Compare also two Qianlong blue and white vases of closely related form but with handles and painted with a different dragon design; one sold in our New York rooms, 28^th November 1994, lot 349; and the other illustrated in John Ayers, The Baur Collection, vol. 4, Geneva, 1974, cat. no. A583.

The present vase is also related to a yellow-ground and underglaze blue bottle vase of the same form and decoration, from the Jarras Collection, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 20^th November 1984, lot 429, again, 2^nd November 1999, lot 593, and again in these rooms, 8^th October 2006, lot 1055.