AN INCISED GREEN-ENAMELLED ‘DRAGON’ BOWL ZHENGDE MARK AND PERIOD

the deep rounded sides rising from a straight foot to a flared rim, decorated to the exterior with two green five-clawed dragons pacing amongst an incised wave ground in pursuit of flaming pearls, the interior with a central medallion enclosing a green dragon writhing amongst clouds, inscribed to the base with a six-character mark within a double-circle

Property of a Hong Kong Collector.
Christie's London, 5th July 1983, lot 293.
The Anthony du Boulay Collection no.P250.

The London Asian Art Fair, Porcelain for Emperors, London, June 2003, cat. no.16.

This rare bowl has a 3cm., wide crescent-shaped area of over-painting to the exterior of the rim, a light matrix of glaze lines covering approximately 3/4 of the body and four long hariline cracks extending from the foot up towards the rim, minor glaze firing imperfections including glaze pulls, iron-spots and light glaze scratches.
"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 green dragon design, which became very popular during the Hongzhi (AD 1488-1505) and Zhengde (AD 1506-21) reigns, originated in the Chenghua period (AD 1465-87), when green dragon bowls were made both with the dragons enamelled on top of the glaze over underglaze-blue outlines, and enamelled on the biscuit as on the present piece; examples of both in the National Palace Museum, Taiwan, were included in the Museum’s Special Exhibition of Ch’eng-hua Porcelain Ware, 1465-1487, Taipei, 2003, pls 107-8 and 110-11.

A Zhengde bowl of this type in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, is illustrated in Suzanne G. Valenstein, A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics, New York, 1989, pl. 156; another from the Sir Percival David collection and now in the British Museum, London, is published in Daisy Lion-Goldschmidt, Ming Porcelain, London, 1978, pl. 106; one from the Meiyintang collection, published in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 2, London, 1994, pl. 695, was sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 9^th October 2012, lot 20; and a fourth bowl from the collection of H.R.N. Norton, included in the Mostra d’Arte Cinese,  Palazzo Ducale, Venice, 1954, cat. no. 687, was sold in these rooms, 5th November 1963, lot 178, and again in our Hong Kong rooms, 18th May 1982, lot 176.