Each dish is incised to the interior and enamelled in aubergine and green with two five-clawed dragons in pursuit of the flaming pearl. The exteriors are incised and enamelled in green and aubergine with leafy fruits.
5¹⁄₈. in. (13 in. ) diam.

Private French Collection, Normandy, acquired in Asia in the 1920s.

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Lot Essay

The design of the current pair of dishes is based on earlier Ming dynasty prototypes dating to the Wanli period (1573-1619). The depiction of a dragon chasing a flaming pearl is common in Chinese art from the Tang dyasty (618-907) onwards. The dragon represents an imperial symbol of power and protection, while the pearl can be linked to the Buddihist talismatic jewel that symbolises transcendent wisdom. The combination of dragons and flaming pearl seen on the current pair of dishes therefore brings a wish for knowledge and supernatural powers to the owner.
An identical suacer donated by Mr Simon Kwan is illustrated by Laurence C.S.Tam and Christina Chu in The Wonders of the Potter's Palette, Qing Ceramics form the Collection of Hong Kong Museum of Art, no. 129, pp188-189.