AN IRON-RED PAINTED ‘DRAGON’ DISH MARK AND PERIOD OF JIAJING

with rounded sides rising from a tapered foot to a flaring rim, boldly painted in rich iron-red washes accented with sharp outlines in a deeper hue, the exterior with a pair of five-clawed scaly dragons striding amongst scrolling clouds, their muscular legs with flame-like projections and terminating to sharp claws, all between line borders at the rim and the foot, the interior left plain, inscribed to the base in underglaze-blue with six-character reign mark within a double circle

Collection of Howard Paget (1866-1945).
Bluett & Sons Ltd, London, 1946 (£7).
Collection of Charles J. Aron, from 1946 to 1958 (£22).
Bluett & Sons Ltd, London, 1958 (£50).
Collection of Rev. R. Bagley, from 1958 to 1965 (£85).
Bluett & Sons Ltd, London, 1965 (£100).
Collection of Roger Pilkington (1928-69), from 1965 (£165).

Edgar E. Bluett, Ming and Ch'ing Porcelains, London, 1933, pl. XVIII, no. 55. 

The dish is in good condition except for a 1 cm hairline crack to the rim, as well as a shallow 'V'-shaped firing fissure/line on the foot of approx. 2 cm and associated glaze pull on the interior wall at the 4 o'clock position (see p. 172). There is also an oval-shaped kiln chip to the footrim/inner foot of 1 by 0.5 cm at the 10 o'clock position (unillustrated).
"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 dish from the collection of Sir Percival David and now in the British Museum, London, is published in Margaret Medley, Illustrated Catalogue of Ming Polychrome Wares, London, 1966, pl. A727. Compare also a group of large bowls similarly decorated with striding dragons in iron red, with a Jiajing mark in underglaze blue and of the period, such as one from the Qing court collection and still in Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Miscellaneous Enamelled Porcelains. Plain Tricoloured Porcelains, Shanghai, 2009, pl. 5; another in the Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Tokyo, published in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, pl. 195; and a third dish, from the collections of Mrs B.Z. Seligman and Raymond F.A. Riesco, sold twice in our London rooms, 11th May 1954, lot 48, and 23rd June 1970, lot 48.