A RARE YELLOW-GROUND BLUE AND WHITE 'DRAGON' DISH MARK AND PERIOD OF JIAJING

the shallow rounded sides supported on a short tapered foot, painted to the interior with a central medallion enclosing a pair of five-clawed dragons, their sinuous scaly bodies writhing amongst stylised ruyi cloud scrolls, all encircled by double line borders repeated at the rim, the exterior decorated with eight sets of stylised cloud and flame scrolls between line borders, all reserved against a rich egg-yolk yellow ground, the white base inscribed with a six-character reign mark in underglaze blue within double circles

Yamanaka & Co., Ltd, New York.
Bluett & Sons Ltd, London, 1937 (£14).
Collection of Mr and Mrs R.H.R. Palmer, from 1937 (£20).
Sotheby's London, 27th November 1962, lot 36 (£950).
Collection of Roger Pilkington (1928-69), from 1962.
Collection of Maureen Pilkington (1928-2011).

Polychrome Porcelain of the Ming and Manchu Dynasties, Oriental Ceramic Society, London, 1950, cat. no. 100.
Loan Exhibition of the Animal in Chinese Art, Oriental Ceramic Society, London, 1968, cat. no. 36.

This very rare dish is in overall good condition with the exception of light scratches to the interior and exterior, in consistent with age. Minor glaze firing imperfections.
"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 dish, with its seemingly classic design, appears to be unique, although a few imperial porcelains of Jiajing mark and period with blue-and-yellow dragon designs are preserved, as well as a few dishes with the same design in blue-and-white. With the Jiajing reign mark enclosed within double circles, it is a particularly fine example, as most comparable wares bear the much less prestigious reign mark without double rings. The present dish is also remarkable for its highly idiosyncratic stylised cloud and flame motifs on the outside, which is otherwise extremely rarely seen.

Dishes of this design, with the same cloud-and-flame pattern on the outside are otherwise known only in blue-and-white; see, for example, two dishes sold in these rooms, 20th May 1980, lots 55 and 56, the latter sold again in our New York rooms, 20th September 2000, lot 108.

The only comparable blue-and-yellow dishes of the Jiajing period are of smaller size, with barbed rim, painted with a single dragon surrounded by peach branches, and inscribed with an unbordered reign mark; see a dish sold in these rooms, 1st November 1994, lot 49, and a pair from the J.M. Hu collection, sold at Christie’s New York, 19th/20th September 2013, lot 1297.

A Jiajing square bowl with blue dragons against a yellow ground, also with the unbordered reign mark, was included in the exhibition Enlightening Elegance. Imperial Porcelain of the Mid to Late Ming: The Huaihaitang Collection, Art Museum, Institute of Chinese Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2012, cat. no. 70; but a jue in the British Museum, painted with blue dragons against a yellow ground, has the reign mark inscribed within a double ring; see Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, pl. 9:86. Compare also a much smaller yellow dish with blue dragon design, of Wanli mark and period, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 28th November 2012, lot 2214.