China, 1662-1722. Sturdily yet elegantly potted, the slender ovoid body rising from a short foot with a concave base to a waisted neck with a lipped rim. Finely painted around the exterior in rich tones of cobalt blue with two large, ferocious dragons, each two-horned and five-clawed, sinuously writhing and surrounded by flames, and with neatly rendered scales. The foot and base left unglazed.

Provenance: British market, by repute from an old English estate.
Condition: Good condition with minor wear and firing irregularities, including dark spots and pitting. The lip with some glaze fritting and small glaze recesses.

Weight: 935.9 g
Dimensions: Height 24.3 cm

The five-clawed dragon continued as an imperial symbol during the Qing dynasty, and its use was even more severely restricted than in the Ming. The rendition of the dragon on the present lot is characteristic of that in the Kangxi period, which is exemplified by a fierce and powerful deameanor giving an impression of authority and majesty, with finely detailed painting of the head and scales. This is a considerable development from the more freely drawn and often more simplified versions of the late Ming dynasty. The full-faced representation of the dragon already existed in Ming times, and became popular in the Qing, but it is from the Kangxi period onwards, as evident from the present lot, that the dragon was imbued with a greater sense of vitality and martial spirit.

Literature comparison: A closely related vase, with a Kangxi mark and of the period, is illustrated in Elias, A Dealer's Hand: The Chinese Art World through the Eyes of Giuseppe Eskenazi, New York 2013, p. 345, fig. 423. Another closely related example is in the collection of the Shanghai Museum, exhibited in Sovereign Splendour: Imperial Porcelain From Shanghai at the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, 2011, and illustrated by T.M. Eliëns (ed.), Keizerlijk porselein uit het Shanghai Museum, Zwolle/The Hague 2011. Compare also a vase from the Palace Museum in Beijing, illustrated in Kangxi Yongzheng Qianlong, Hong Kong 1989, p. 23, pl. 6 and another from the Wang Xing Lou Collection, illustrated in Imperial Perfection, The Palace Porcelain of Three Chinese Emperors, Hong Kong 2004, no. 1. For a pair of related vases with Chenghua marks, see Ming and Qing Porcelain from the Collection of the T. Y. Chao Family Foundation, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 1978, cat. no. 85, sold at Sotheby’s London, 18 November 1986, lot 83.

Auction result comparison: Compare a closely related vase, with a Kangxi mark and of the period, at Christie’s Hong Kong in Imperial Chinese Ceramics from the Robert Chang Collection – Jade Shears and Shimmering Feathers on 28 November 2006, lot 1317, sold for HKD 22,520,000. Compare a closely related vase, marked only with a double circle and dated to the Kangxi period, at Bonhams Sydney in Important Asian Art on 22 May 2019, lot 30, sold for AUD 42,700 (approx. EUR 27,000). Note that the Bonhams vase has severe condition issues, including a damaged and repaired neck, and thus the auction result does not adequately reflect the value of the present lot.

康熙時期青花龍紋瓶
中國，1662-1722年。青花龍紋瓶，瓶口微撇，短頸，圓肩，肩以下漸收，圈足。瓶身青花繪兩條五爪立龍，張牙舞爪，龍身捲曲，威武兇猛，四周火焰圍繞。圈足內露胎。

來源：英國古玩市場，據説來自英國私人收藏。
品相：狀況良好，有輕微磨損和燒製瑕疵，包括黑點和點蝕。 唇部有一些釉點和小釉凹槽。

重量：935.9 克
尺寸：高 24.3 釐米

五爪龍在清代是皇室的象徵，其使用的限制比明代還要嚴格。 本拍品的龍紋具有康熙時期的特點，氣勢兇猛，威風凜凜，頭部和鱗片刻畫細緻。 這是明朝後期更自由繪製且通常更簡化的版本一個很大的發展。龍的全臉形像在明代已經存在，在清代開始流行，但從康熙時期開始，按照此拍品的形制，龍被賦予了更大的生命力、戰鬥力和精神。

文獻比較：一個相近的康熙款及年代的青花龍紋瓶，見 Elias, A Dealer's Hand: The Chinese Art World through the Eyes of Giuseppe Eskenazi，紐約，2013年, 第345頁，圖423。另一件見2011年上海博物館於海牙市立美術館展覽：Sovereign Splendour: Imperial Porcelain From Shanghai；圖見T.M. Eliëns (ed.), Keizerlijk porselein uit het Shanghai Museum, 兹沃勒/海牙，2011年。比較一件北京故宮博物院藏品，見《故宮珍藏康雍乾瓷器圖錄》，香港，1989年，第23頁，圖6。 比較另一件《清代康雍乾官窯瓷器〈望星樓藏瓷〉》，香港2004年，編號1。一對成化款龍紋見Ming and Qing Porcelain from the Collection of the T. Y. Chao Family Foundation, 香港藝術館, 1978年，圖錄編號85, 售於倫敦蘇富比,1986年11月 18日。

拍賣結果比較：比較一件康熙款及年代的龍紋瓶，見香港佳士得Imperial Chinese Ceramics from the Robert Chang Collection – Jade Shears and Shimmering Feathers 2006年11月28日 lot 1317, 售價HKD 22,520,000；比較一件康熙時期雙圈款龍紋瓶，見悉尼邦翰思Important Asian Art 2019年5月 22日 lot 30, 售價AUD 42,700 (大約EUR 27,000)。請注意邦翰思的這件龍紋瓶品相有問題，有破損和修復，因此，拍賣結果並不能充分反映現拍品的價值。