Lot 114 A Chinese blue and white 'Dragons Chasing the Flaming Pearl' meiping vase with original cover

A Chinese blue and white 'Dragons Chasing the Flaming Pearl' meiping vase with original cover

Jiajing

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€ 10.000 – € 20.000

H: H. 33,6 cm (incl. cover)

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The elegant meiping vase is finely painted in underglaze cobalt blue with two four-clawed dragons striding amongst flames, divided by stylised flaming pearls and set above a band of breaking waves. The shoulders are decorated with alternating floral roundels and geometric motifs, while the lower body is encircled by a band of upright lotus petals. The original domed cover is surmounted by a small knop and decorated with a matching ruyi-scroll border, harmonising with the ornament on the vase.
Dragon-decorated wares formed an important part of the imperial porcelain produced during the Jiajing reign. The dragon, emblematic of imperial authority, strength and auspicious power, is shown dynamically pursuing the flaming pearl, a motif symbolising wisdom, vitality and the celestial realm.
Meiping vases were originally intended for the display of plum blossoms and later also served as elegant storage vessels. It is exceptionally rare for examples to retain their original porcelain covers, as these were frequently lost or replaced over the centuries. The survival of the matching cover considerably enhances both the rarity and desirability of the present vase. The vessel has a short cylindrical neck with a neatly finished mouth and a recessed base enclosed by an unglazed foot rim.
此梅瓶造型秀雅，通體以青花繪雙龍趕珠紋。兩條四爪龍騰躍於火焰之間，以火珠相隔，下承海水江崖紋。肩部飾花卉團紋與幾何紋，彼此相間，下腹環飾一周仰蓮瓣紋。原配圓拱形瓷蓋，上置小圓鈕，蓋面飾如意卷草紋，與瓶身紋飾相互呼應。
龍紋是嘉靖御窯瓷器的重要裝飾題材。龍象徵皇權、力量與祥瑞，追逐火珠的動態構圖則寓意智慧、生命力與天界神威。
梅瓶最初用於插放梅枝，後亦作儲存酒水等物的雅器。此類梅瓶能夠保留原配瓷蓋者極為罕見，因其蓋歷經數百年多已散失或被後配。此瓶原蓋得以完整保存，更顯珍罕。瓶作短直頸，口部修整規整；底部內凹，足圈露胎。
Reference:
For a related but larger 'Dragon' meiping vase, see J. Ayers, 'Chinese Ceramics. The Koger Collection', pp. 86-87, no. 62.
Provenance:
Christie's New York, 2 December 1989, lot 281, with a label.
The D.W. Goldschlager Collection, Paris, France, 1950's, inventory no. 70, with their label to the base.
Marc Michot, Bruges.
The Mr. and Mrs. Baert-Devos Collection, Belgium. Acquired from the above in 2002, according to the owner's inventory notes.