A blue and white 'five clawed dragon' cup, Qing dynasty, with Yongzheng mark and of the period (1723-35).
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Rounded sides on a short foot, decorated to the interior with a five clawed dragon amidst cloud formations within a double circle, the sides decorated with two fierce five clawed dragons chasing the flaming pearl, the base with a six character mark in underglaze blue. Diameter 9.5 cm.
Fritts, cracks.
Provenance
From the Collection of Axel Lagrelius (1863-1944). Thence by descent within the family. Axel was a Swedish chemical engineer, business leader and art collector.
Lagrelius sponsored several scientific expeditions, such as Alfred Nathorst to Spitsbergen in 1898, Greenland 1899, and Otto Nordenskjold expedition to the South Pole 1902-1904, continuously Johan Gunnar Anderssons Expeditions in China from 1916, onwards. He held several honorary titles and was from 1907 In 1907 appointed superintendent of the court.
In 1926 he accompanied the crown prince of Sweden on his journey to China, where he got the honorary title of a mandarin of the court. He was one of the founding members of the China Committee and one of the investors in the Karlbeck syndicate that purchased Chinese Works of Art in China through Orvar Karlbeck 1928-1932.
Literature
The black and white image taken when Lagrelius visited China with the Crown Prince in 1926.
From the top left, no 1 O. Nordqvist, 2, 3, 4 Erik Nyström, 5, 6, 7.
From the lower left, no 3 Mr Everlöf, no 4. Crown Princess Louise Mountbatten, No 5. H.R.H. Crown Prins Gustav Adolf (later King Gustav VI Adolf), no 6 Mrs Rudebäck, no 7 Mr Rudebäck, no 8 Axel Lagrelius, 9 Johan Gunnar Andersson.