A large blue and white 'dragon' charger, late Qing dynasty/Republic with an apocryphal Yongzheng mark.

The wide vessel with curved sides rising to a flat everted rim, the interior painted in deep underglaze-blue with a large central roundel enclosing a writhing five-clawed dragon confronting the viewer head-on, reaching for a shou medallion, surrounded by scrolling clouds and flames, the deep cavetto with four smaller dragons striding among clouds and flames, all below the band of cresting waves on the rim, the exterior painted with elaborate waves breaking against five rockwork mountains, all atop a short foot, the recessed base with a six-character mark within a double-circle. Diameter 45 cm.

Repair to rim. Firing irregularities.

Provenance

Property of a private Finnish collection.

Exhibitions

Compare with a charger of this type but of the period, see lot 2815, Sothebys, Spelndors of the Qing court, Hong Kong, April 11 2008.

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