A RARE POLYCHROME LACQUER 'DRAGON' DISH MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG |

superbly modelled with shallow rounded sides divided into four lobes with gently canted incurved corners, all supported on a short foot of corresponding form, the flat interior of the tray with a lobed cartouche enclosing a stylised shou medallion flanked by a pair of dragons soaring amidst ruyi clouds above cresting waves and jagged rockwork, surrounded by four lobed cartouches alternating with four soaring phoenix around the cavetto, each cartouche enclosing floral blooms borne on leafy stems, each lobed side of the exterior similarly decorated with a cusped cartouche, flanked on the sides with two of the Eight Trigrams, each cartouche enclosing varying auspicious motifs, including the babao emblems, atop undulating lingzhi scrolls, all superbly carved through layers of lacquer against a diapered ground, the foot skirted with a key-fret border, the base lacquered black and gilt-incised with a six-character reign mark

Sotheby's London, 8th July 1975, lot 21 (one of a pair).
Possibly Sotheby's London, 1st/2nd November 1984, lot 232 (one of a pair).
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 20th November 1985, lot 251 (one of a pair).

There are some expected minute flakes to the fragile extremities, including the tips of the phoenix's wings. There is also light retouching to the carved design, including the shou character and the whiskers of the left dragon. There is also retouching along the foot as can be expected of its age and type. The dish is otherwise very well preserved and in overall good condition.
"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 tray is striking for its meticulous carving of two ferocious dragons leaping towards a sphere containing a shou (longevity) character. Vigorously rendered with gaping mouths and bulging eyes, the dragons’ movement is successfully captured through the sharp contours of their sinuous bodies and detailed web of scales. A sense of three-dimensionality is further conveyed through the clever use of a dark-coloured ground, which also enhances the thickly built-up lacquer layers. In its liveliness and detailed rendering, this piece exemplifies the artistic advances made in lacquer carving during the Qianlong reign. This dish closely follows in both form and subject matter prototypes made in the Jiajing reign, although the original version was cleverly adapted to suit the aesthetic taste of the Qianlong period. Dragons are rendered with more powerful and fierce expressions, their scaly bodies are carved with meticulous details, and contrasting lacquer colours are used more subtly. Furthermore, the composition appears less chaotic. A Jiajing dish carved with this motif, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in Carved Lacquer in the Palace Museum, Beijing, 1985, pl. 175.

Carved lacquer of the Jiajing reign was an important source of inspiration amongst lacquer craftsmen of the Qianlong period, despite the almost ubiquitous presence of Daoist elements in its designs. While Jiajing was a fervent believer in Daoism, Qianlong seems to have been ambivalent about the religion and although he provided state sponsorship for some Daoist deities, he banished from the court Daoist alchemists who had served his father, the Yongzheng Emperor. Every element of the design on this dish is steeped in Daoist symbolism.  The sphere that encloses the shou character resembles a flaming pearl and a taiji circle, cloud formations are modelled in the form of the immortality fungus, and dragons are not only symbolic of the emperor but also of the contrasting cosmic forces of yin and yang.

According to Qinggong neiwufu zaobanchu dang’an [Archival records from the Qing imperial household department workshop], a cinnabar square dish of Jiajing mark and period was sent to Suzhou to be re-lacquered and replicated in the 42nd year of the Qianlong period (corresponding to 1777). Four copies, incised with six-character reign marks of the Qianlong period, were sent to Ningshougong and Qianqinggong in the 44th year of the period (corresponding to 1779).  

A closely related tray from the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing, is illustrated in Carved Lacquer in the Palace Museum, Beijing, 1985, pl. 331; the pair to this dish was sold in our London rooms, 8th July 1975, lot 21, and again in these rooms, 20th November 1985, lot 251, possibly the same dish sold also in our London rooms, 1st-2nd November 1984, lot 232, which is now in the Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo (accession no. TH 474); and a third dish was sold at Christie’s London, 10th June 1996, lot 8.

The design carved on this tray is also found on circular boxes with Qianlong marks and of the period, such as a box in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Carving the Subtle Radiance of Colors. Treasured Lacquerware in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2014, pl. 136; and another from the Edward Krolik collection, illustrated in B. St. J.M. Morgan, ‘Carved Lacquer in the Krolik Collection’, Oriental Art, vol. XIII no. 4, Winter 1967, fig. 7, and sold twice in our London rooms, 24th February 1970, lot 85, and 29th October 1982, lot 247.