Large porcelain dragon vase

Large porcelain dragon vase with ovoid body rising to a long, high cylindrical neck, resting on a short, slightly flared foot. The decoration is applied in cobalt blue and depicts two powerful five-clawed dragons moving among a dense network of foliage adorned with lotus flowers and peonies. The whole is framed at the top by a frieze of tumultuous waves and at the bottom by a frieze of lotus petals announcing the start of the foot, itself enhanced by alternating floral scrolls. Below the base, a six-character Yongzheng mark within a double circle.

The dragon is undoubtedly the most important motif in the repertoire of decorations applied to Chinese porcelain. Like the phoenix, symbolizing the Empress, the dragon personifies the Emperor in all his strength, and is therefore by definition the allegory of imperial power. The quality of the rendering on this vase is further enhanced by the cobalt blue, skilfully applied as an overthick layer, which refers to a decorative technique known as ‘Heaping and Piling’, already perfected during the Ming dynasty in the 15th century, and whose meticulous result demonstrates the potter’s technical prowess.

Height: 41 cm
Diameter: 21 cm

Provenance: Former collection of Madame Rebecca Behar (1888-1974), acquired in Paris in the 1920s from Galerie Wannieck, then passed on by descent.