A BLUE AND WHITE 'DRAGON' BOWL
Qianlong seal mark and of the period
Of ogee form and painted in rich cobalt-blue with two five-clawed dragons striding in mutual pursuit around the exterior amongst wispy cloud, the interior with a single five-clawed dragon medallion.
16.9cm (6 5/8in) diam.
Footnotes:
Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價

清乾隆 青花雲龍紋碗
青花「大清乾隆年製」篆書款

Provenance: Sotheby's London, 1 December 1995, lot 165
Christie's London, 11 July 2006, lot 143
An important European private collection

來源：倫敦蘇富比，1995年12月1日，拍品編號165
倫敦佳士得，2006年7月11日，拍品編號143
歐洲重要私人收藏

During the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods, the emperors had a preference for commissioning objects inspired by those found in the imperial collections of preceding dynasties. Archive records reveal multiple occasions when the Imperial kilns were ordered to produce imitations of porcelain from the Jiajing period of the Ming dynasty. The present lot belongs to this category. The round eyes of the dragons, the broad Ruyi-shaped noses, and the 'ren' (壬) character-shaped cloud patterns all echo the stylistic essence of the Jiajing period. See a similar bowl, Qianlong mark, in the Roemer Museum, Hildesheim, illustrated by U.Wiesner, Chinesisches Porzellan, Mainz and Rhein, 1981, pl.47.

Compare also with a similar blue and white ogee 'dragon' bowl, Qianlong seal mark and of the period, which was sold at Christie's London, 5 November 2013, lot 406.

Two chips to the rim, the largest approx 5mm long; minor firing imperfections and general surface wear.