Large jar

Important
white porcelain jar with underglaze cobalt blue decoration, the body decorated with two five-clawed dragons, spread over foaming waves and mountain peaks representing the island of the Blessed Taoist Immortals, between two cursive shou characters sprouting from lingzhi, the shoulder decorated with flowers and lotus scrolls, the rim of the base outlined with a band of stylized ruyi heads. Bears the six-character mark “Da Ming Jiajing Nian Zhi” (“Made under the reign of Jiajing”) in kaishu on the base.

The decor features the deep, intense “Muslim” blue and great vitality characteristic of this period. Large, five-clawed dragon motifs are rare, and tend to be reserved for imperial commissions. The large dimensions of this jar demonstrate the great mastery of the porcelain craftsmen. The exceptional quality of our jar, comparable to that of the Grandidier Collection in the Musée Guimet, explains its inclusion in numerous works, including “Arts de la Chine” by D. Lion-Goldschmidt and J-C Moreau-Gobard, Fribourg, 1960, pl. 150, pp. 336-337. The essential difference between the two jars is the presence of the mark under the base for our jar, whereas on the Musée Guimet jar, the mark is horizontal on the neck.

(Ground neck, star-shaped base, cracks in lower part of body)

H. 51 cm

Similar piece in the Musée Guimet in the Grandidier Collection, published in :

Alexandre Hougron, “La Céramique Chinoise Ancienne”, Ed. L’Amateur, Paris, 2015 ;

D. Lion-Goldschmidt, “La porcelaine Ming”, Office du Livre, Fribourg, 1978, pl. 153.

Alexandre Hougron, “La Céramique Chinoise Ancienne”, Ed. L’Amateur, Paris, 2015 ;

D. Lion-Goldschmidt, “La porcelaine Ming”, Office du Livre, Fribourg, 1978, pl. 153.