A RARE PAIR OF PUCE ENAMEL AND UNDERGLAZE-BLUE 'DRAGON' DISHES QIANLONG SEAL MARKS AND PERIOD

each dish painted to the interior with puce enamel featuring a large sinuous dragon curled around a 'flaming pearl' and surrounded by flames, bordered by underglaze-blue ruyi-head cloud lappets below the rim, the reverse decorated in underglaze-blue with five bats carrying beribboned objects (2)

Sotheby's London, 29th February 1972, lot 264.

Both are in good overall condition, with stacking wear to the puce enamel. One with tiny pinpricks on the rim; the other with a slightly larger burst air bubble on rim. On seal mark is less even than the other mark. One has a rim that is slightly misfired slightly orange. Both are very lightly warped.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

It is rare to find imperial puce enamel and underglaze-blue dishes of this design and no other similar dish appears to have been published. Compare a Qianlong moonflask painted with a full-faced large scaly dragon illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White porcelain with Underglazed Red III, Shanghai, 2000, pl. 232; and a Qianlong vase decorated with bats and shou characters, included in the exhibition Blue and White Porcelain from the Shanghai Museum, Matsuya, Ginza, Tokyo, 1988, cat. no. 87.