A GREEN AND YELLOW 'DRAGON' SAUCER DISH MARK AND PERIOD OF JIAJING

the gently rounded sides springing from a short tapering foot to an everted rim, incised to the interior with a medallion enclosing a pair of green-glazed five-clawed dragon in mutual pursuit of a flaming pearl, the exterior similarly decorated and all reserved on a rich egg-yolk yellow ground

The dish has two 4mm. wide shallow flakes to the inside edge of the footring and a 2mm. long firing line to the rim; otherwise the dish is in very good condition.
"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."

Jiajing dishes of this design and colour glaze combination are extremely rare although a very similar example, from the collection of the late W. Evill Esq., was sold in these rooms, 30th November 1965, lot 33; and two further examples were also sold in these rooms, 11th July 1967, lot 103, and its companion dish, lot 104.

Jiajing yellow-ground dishes can also be found painted with a single green dragon below a shou character, such as the dish sold in these rooms, 15th October 1968, lot 113, and now in the Percival David Foundation; with the design of a peach tree in the form of a shou character in green, such as the dish illustrated in R. L. Hobson, The Wares of the Ming Dynasty, London, 1923, pl. 30, fig. 2; and with the design of 'Precious Objects' surrounded by leafy stems, as seen on the dish sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 8th October 1990, lot 439.  See also a Jiajing mark and period dish decorated with cranes in green against a yellow ground, included in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, exhibition Good Fortune, Long Life, Health and Peace: A Special Exhibition of Porcelains with Auspicious Designs, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1995, p. 139, pl. 62.