A LARGE BLUE-GROUND DISH WITH GREEN DRAGONS MARK AND PERIOD OF KANGXI

well potted with shallow rounded sides resting on a tapered foot, the interior brilliantly painted with a central medallion of a green sinuous dragon leaping amidst scrolling clouds, pursuing a 'flaming pearl', enclosed by a pair of scaly dragons chasing 'flaming pearls' the cavetto, the exterior similarly decorated with a matching frieze of two further dragons, all deftly enamelled in green, reserved on a deep blue ground, the white-glazed base inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character reign mark, the fifth claw of each dragon concesled in black pigment

Sotheby's London, 10^th July 1979, lot 172.

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 15^th November 1983, lot 292.

The fifth claws are covered with black paint. Apart from some light surface scratches and slight discolouration to the white-glazed rim and base, the overall condition is very good.
"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."

A closely related example, also with the fifth claw of the dragons concealed in black, is illustrated in John Ayers, Chinese Ceramics in the Baur Collection, Geneva, 1999, pl. 161; and another from the Manno Art Museum, Osaka, was sold at Christie's London, 21^st June 2001, lot 107. For further examples where the fifth claw has not been over-painted see a slightly larger dish in the Hong Kong Museum of Art, included in the exhibition The Wonders of the Potters Palette, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1984, cat. no. 25; and another of much larger dimensions from the Umezawa Kinenkan, Tokyo, included in the exhibition Shincho toji, MOA Art Museum, Tokyo, 1984, cat. no. 26.

From the Kangxi period two-coloured dishes of this type decorated with five-clawed dragons were the customary food vessels used in the Qing palace during large banquets, where the colours were regulated according to rank. According to Regina Krahl, in Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 2010, p. 244, the fifth claw of each leg of the dragons was probably painted in black to hide the palace provenance of the pieces.