A Fine and Rare Doucai 'Dragon and Phoenix' Box and Cover Qing Dynasty, Yongzheng Period

of rectangular form supported on four scroll feet, the top of the cover painted with an iron-red dragon in pursuit of a flaming pearl amidst pale celadon and underglaze-blue washes, the front and back sides with a phoenix in flight above a gnarled tree issuing from pierced rocks, decorated at both ends with leafy bamboo and lingzhi

Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 17^th November 1975, lot 42.

Ch'ing Polychrome Porcelain, Fung Ping Shan Museum, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1977, cat. no. 66.
From the Tang to the Qing: Chinese Ceramics from circa 618-1850 A.D. from the Collection of Dr. and Mrs. Peter Thompson, Hull University, Hull, 1996, cat. no. 112.

In very good general condition; minor wear to enamels; faint firing cracks to three of the four corners of the interior of the box and to each of the feet; minor glaze inclusions along the lower rim of the box and to one of the feet.
"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."

This box is unique for its decoration which has been inspired by the celebrated Southern Song painting Nine Dragons by Rong Chen (active c. 1235-60). The use of this specific scene on porcelain can be attributed to the creative genius of Tang Ying (1682-1756), Superintendent at the Imperial kilns in Jingdezhen. As a descendent of a bondservant, and belonging to one of the three Banners directly under the control of the emperor, Tang Ying started his career at the Neiwufu (Imperial Household Department) at the age of 16. The palace presented him with the opportunity to study the imperial collection of old paintings as well as decorative objects which provided an essential foundation from which he could produce classical yet innovative designs for ceramic pieces.

This dragon scene was adapted to adorn an array of vessels in a variety of palettes; see a brushpot decorated in sepia enamel, also bearing a poem and signature of Tang Ying, in the collection of The Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, illustrated in Peter Y.K. Lam, ‘Tang Ying (1682-1756). The Imperial Factory Superintendent at Jingdezhen’, Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society, vol. 63, London, 2000, p. 69, pl. 5; an underglaze blue tianqiuping depicting nine dragons amongst clouds, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 20^th May 1986, lot 40, and now in the Chang Foundation, illustrated in James Spencer, Selected Chinese Ceramics from Han to Qing Dynasties, Taipei, 1990, pl. 126; and a meiping vase with copper- red dragons amidst underglaze blue clouds, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 26^th October 2003, lot 136.

The Qing craftsman’s command over his materials is evident in the varying use of cobalt blue, from the fine and precise outlines of the composition to the vaporous clouds that naturalistically billow around the dragon and phoenix. A slightly larger box of related form, but decorated with two songbirds perched on a flowering prunus branch on the top and with similar scenes on the sides, from the collection of Montague Meyer, was sold at Christie’s London, 14^th April 1980, lot 286, and again in our Hong Kong rooms, 30^th April 1991, lot 125.

The combination of singing phoenix with bamboo and lingzhi conveys the wish for peace and the fulfilment of all wishes.