A MAGNIFICENT AND EXTREMELY RARE BLUE AND WHITE 'WINGED DRAGON' JARLET MARK AND PERIOD OF CHENGHUA |

of broad shouldered form, painted in rich purplish tones of cobalt-blue with a pair of writhing dragons with jaws gapper open and wings thrashing through the air, amidst knotted clouds and flames above a rolling tempestuous sea emitting foam and spray, all below a border of scrolling vines and a blue line border at the straight neck, the stepped base with the six-character mark within a double circle

Collection of Sam Browne.
Sotheby's London, 23th May 1972, lot 126.
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 11th April 2008, lot 2932.

Exhibition of Ancient Chinese Ceramics from the Collection of the Kau Chi Society of Chinese Art, Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1981, cat. no. 70.

The jar is in very good condition with an insignificant, near invisible horizontal glaze crackle at the shoulder that does not go through the body and measures 7 cm in length.
"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 Winged Dragon from the Chenghua Reign This little jewel of a jar encapsulates the exuberance, boldness and beauty of porcelains created at the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen in the Chenghua period. With its powerfully painted dragon motif, it is not only endearing to look at, but with its well-rounded form also a pleasure to hold. The striking winged dragons riding on waves made their appearance in the Yongle period and were depicted in many different ways. The current form of the ‘fish dragon’, an animal in the process of transformation from fish to dragon – and thus symbolising the transformation of an aspiring student to a graduate of the imperial examinations, i.e. success – is rather unusual, as it still retains fins, but has already grown impressive wings. Similar fanciful beasts, but differently rendered, can be seen on massive Xuande fish bowls, such as one in the Sir Percival David Collection, illustrated in Oriental Ceramics. The World’s Great Collections, Tokyo, New York and San Francisco, 1980-82, vol. 6, no. 95, or another sold in these rooms, 5th November 1997, lot 1403. Other winged dragons generally have no fins and either three-clawed front legs and a fanciful curled tail, as on a Yongle jar sold in these rooms, 16th May 1989, lot 112, and illustrated in Sotheby’s. Thirty Years in Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2003, pl. 211; or four-clawed front legs, like on a Xuande stemcup from the Pilkington collection, sold in these rooms, 6th April 2016, lot 24. 

The prototype of the current jar is a unique example, attributed to the Yongle / early Xuande reign, from the Tianminlou collection, illustrated in Blue and White Porcelain from the Collection of Tianminlou Foundation, Shanghai, 1996, no. 35, was sold in these rooms, 3rd April 2019, lot 4 (fig. 1). The Chenghua interpretation of the dragon motif design on the current jar remains faithful to the original, but is characterised by a bolder palette, much deeper purplish tones of cobalt-blue and less softly delineated details.

All blue and white jars of Chenghua mark and period are rare, and the current example is particularly rare. Only one other jar of this dragon design appears to be recorded, a piece from the collection of Mrs Walter Sedgwick, sold in our London rooms, 2nd July 1968, lot 128, later in the collections of Mr and Mrs John D. Rockefeller 3rd and the Asia Society, New York, illustrated in Denise Patry Leidy, Treasures of Asian Art, New York, 1994, pl. 189 (fig. 2).

No jar of this type appear to be preserved in the Palace collections either in Beijing or Taipei, although the National Palace Museum, Taiwan, contains a small Chenghua jar of slightly different form, painted with garden flowers, which was included in the Museum's exhibition Radiating Hues of Blue and White: Ming Dynasty Blue-and-White Porcelains in the National Palace Museum Collection, Taipei, 2016, cat. no. 53; and a few other blue and white Chenghua jars, all decorated with flowers, are recorded by Julian Thompson in the exhibition catalogue The Emperor's broken China: Reconstructing Chenghua porcelain, Sotheby's, London, 1995, pp. 118 and 125 (nos B2-B5).

The characteristic porcelains of the Chenghua period tend to be small and unpretentious, and seem at first glance unassuming and modest. They were intended for individual appreciation and handling rather than for display, and need a connoisseur’s glance and touch to be taken in in all their magnificence. Given the strict supervision and precise stipulations by the court in this period, it is hardly surprising that the material quality was improved compared to previous reigns, but it is most remarkable that the painted decoration on these vessels could become so free and uncontrived. The painting tends to be much less formal and predictable than in previous reigns, with an unprecedented softness and elegance. The sensuous pleasure of the touch of a piece of Chenghua porcelain is well known, and the present jarlet is no exception in this respect. The extremely fine, tactile white paste of Chenghua wares that has no match among Jingdezhen porcelains of any period, is due to refined body and glaze recipes, with increased levels of aluminium oxide and reduced iron oxide compared to those of the Xuande reign, enabling higher firing temperatures and resulting in a whiter, denser biscuit, as well as a lower content of iron and calcium oxide in the glaze, making it clearer and finer and giving it a distinctive, soft sheen.