Juliette Hammer
Sale Coordinator
THE PROPERTY OF A LADY 女士藏品
Lot 124*
A RARE BLUE AND WHITE 'DRAGON' JARDINIÈRE Qianlong seal mark and of the period
15 May 2025, 11:30 BST
London, New Bond Street£10,000 - £15,000
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Chen Xie
Specialist
Edward Luper
Specialist, Chinese Works of Art
Lazarus Halstead
Head of Chinese and Asian Art, London
A RARE BLUE AND WHITE 'DRAGON' JARDINIÈRE
Qianlong seal mark and of the period
Well potted with deep rounded sides rising to a lipped rim, the exterior painted in vibrant cobalt-blue tone with two sinuous five-clawed dragons writhing amidst clouds, all above a band of swirling waves, the base inscribed with a six-character seal mark in cobalt blue, hardwood stand. 21.3cm (8 3/8in) diam. (2).
Well potted with deep rounded sides rising to a lipped rim, the exterior painted in vibrant cobalt-blue tone with two sinuous five-clawed dragons writhing amidst clouds, all above a band of swirling waves, the base inscribed with a six-character seal mark in cobalt blue, hardwood stand. 21.3cm (8 3/8in) diam. (2).
Footnotes
清乾隆 青花雲龍紋鉢
青花「大清乾隆年製」篆書款
Provenance: Dr Emil Hultmark (1872-1943), Stockholm, and thence by descent
來源： Emil Hultmark博士(1872-1943)，斯德哥爾摩，並由後人保存迄今
Emil Hultmark was an art historian, collector, donor and patron of the arts. He combined important work as an art historian not only with the creation of one of the largest and most remarkable private art collections in Sweden, but also with the construction of an archive of Swedish artists and art craftsmen unparalleled in its extent, together with a library containing almost all that has been written about Swedish art. He loaned to the seminal International Exhibition of Chinese Art, Royal Academy, London, 1935-1936, no less than five objects, Catalogue nos.140, 1872, 1949, 2983 and 2985.
This jardinière exemplifies the Qing Court's fascination with auspicious symbols and their integration into everyday objects of grandeur, making it a prized relic of Imperial taste and craftsmanship. The powerful five-clawed dragon amidst swirling clouds, waves, and flames, symbolise the emperor's supreme power and dominion over the natural world. The bold and dynamic composition reflects the high level of craftsmanship achieved during the Qianlong reign. See a similar blue and white 'dragon' jardinière, Qianlong seal mark and of the period, in the collection of the Nanjing Museum, illustrated in The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, p.274. See also a similar blue and white jardiniere with a dragon, Qianlong mark and of the period, in the Museum of Fine Art Boston (acc.no.46.527).
Compare also with a similar blue and white 'dragon' jardinière, Qianlong seal mark and of the period, which was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 3 December 2021, lot 2901.