Bowl with dragon

Unknown

ca. 1735 · Hard-paste porcelain painted with enamels over transparent glaze (Jingdezhen ware) · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

On the exterior, a dragon sports with a flaming pearl. Because of its auspicious associations, this traditional Chinese motif frequently appeared on objects intended for use at the imperial court. By the sixteenth century, dragons were freely used as motifs on objects intended for public consumption, provided the dragon had only four claws—the fiveclaw version was reserved for the emperor.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1735

Medium

Hard-paste porcelain painted with enamels over transparent glaze (Jingdezhen ware)

Culture

Chinese, for European market

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

The Hans Syz Collection, Gift of Stephan B. Syz and John D. Syz, 1995