A FINE GREEN-ENAMEL AND DOUCAI 'DRAGON' JAR AND COVER SEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG

the globular tapering body rising to a rounded shoulder set with a short straight neck, decorated in green enamel with a pair of ferocious dragons, each chasing a 'flaming pearl' amongst scrolling clouds, all beneath a frieze of bajixiang, the cover similarly decorated with a coiled dragon chasing a 'flaming pearl', the recessed base inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character reign mark

Acquired in Singapore, 1982. 

Both the jar and cover are in overall excellent 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."

A closely related jar from the collection of W.W. Winkworth and illustrated in Soame Jenyns, Later Chinese Porcelain, London, 1951, pl. XCI, fig. 2, was sold twice in these rooms, 29^th November 1977, lot 128, and 1^st November 1999, lot 463. Another jar of this form and decoration is published in Porcelains of the National Palace Museum. Enamelled Ware of the Ch'ing Dynasty, bk. II, Taipei, 1969, pl. 13; and one is included in Chinese Porcelain in the S.C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, Hong Kong, 1987, pl. 114.

Compare also a covered jar of this type, from the collection of Edward T. Chow, sold in these rooms, 19^th May 1981, lot 537; another in the Jingdezhen Museum, Jiangxi province, illustrated in Heitokuchin jiki, Kyoto, 1982, pl. 118; and two jars each sold twice in these rooms, 19^th May 1988, lots 291 and 292, and again, 8^th April 2011, lots 3171 and 3165 respectively.