SEVERAL EXAMPLES OF THESE MAGNIFICANT AND BOLDLY COMPOSED MOONFLASKS ARE IN MAJOR PUBLIC COLLECTIONS. SEE FOR EXAMPLE THE FLASK MOUNTED WITH AN OTTOMAN SILVER COVER, IN THE TOPKAPI SARAY MUSEUM, ISTANBUL, ILLUSTRATED IN THE CATALOGUE, VOL.II, NO.614; AND THE VERY SIMILAR FLASK NOW IN THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM, ILLUSTRATED BY J. AYERS, FAR EASTERN CERAMICS, PL.47, AND ILLUSTRATED IN COLOUR ON THE FRONT COVER. IT WAS FORMERLY IN THE COLLECTION OF MRS ALFRED CLARK WHEN IT WAS PUBLISHED BY SIR H. GARNER, ORIENTAL BLUE AND WHITE, NO.26B. A SIMILAR EXAMPLE IS ILLUSTRATED IN THE ASIA SOCIETY'S MR AND MRS JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER 3RD COLLECTION, TREASURES OF ASIAN ART, 1994, P.176, COL. PL.167.

ANOTHER VASE OF THIS TYPE IS IN THE PERCIVAL DAVID FOUNDATION IN LONDON, ILLUSTRATED IN THE M. MEDLEY CATALOGUE, 1976, NO.B667; AND YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE IS IN THE NANJING MUSEUM, ILLUSTRATED IN THE CATALOGUE. SEE ALSO THE EXAMPLE IN THE NATIONAL PALACE MUSEUM, TAIPEI, CATALOGUE OF BLUE AND WHITE WARE OF THE MING DYNASTY, BOOK 1, PL.5, FOR A VARIANT ON THIS FORM OF VASE, PAINTED WITH FLOWERS INSTEAD OF THE DRAMATIC THREE-CLAWED DRAGON; ANOTHER EXAMPLE, IS IN THE KUNSTINDUSTRIMUSEUM, COPENHAGEN, ILLUSTRATED BY LION-GOLDSCHMIDT, OP.CIT., COL.PL. 30

THIS SPECTACULAR FORM OF MOONFLASK GAVE RISE TO ONE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE DESIGNS IN BLUE AND WHITE OF THE EARLY 15TH CENTURY, WHEN THE DRAGON WAS LEFT RESERVED IN THE WHITE, AND INCISED WITH SCALES AGAINST AN ELABORATE GROUND OF BLUE BOILING, CRESTING AND DENSELY OVERLAPPING WAVES. THE BEST-KNOWN EXAMPLE OF THESE FLASKS IN THE WEST IS IN THE PERCIVAL DAVID FOUNDATION, ILLUSTRATED BY R. SCOTT, A GUIDE TO THE COLLECTION, COL.PL. 60.

THE ONLY OTHER EXAMPLE OF THESE MAGNIFICENT FLASKS PAINTED WITH A BLUE DRAGON ON A WHITE GROUND TO BE OFFERED IN OUR GREAT ROOMS WAS SOLD ON 20 MARCH 1967, LOT 62.