THE DRAGONS EARLY 19TH CENTURY, BASE OF LATER DATE

Details

A Chinese black and gilt lacquered dragon fire clock
The dragons early 19th Century, base of later date
The black painted and lead-lined base decorated with gilt Japanese landscapes, the curved stand above supporting a black lacquered and gilt painted carved wood dragon with hollowed back lined with a lead tray; with a further fire boat with black lacquered ground decorated with raised gilt Japanese buildings and foliage and with plain scrolled ends, the hollowed back now lacking the lead lining tray
The dragon boat - 26.5 in. (67 cm.) long (2)

Special notice

VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price plus buyer's premium.

Lot Essay

Dragon boats are fascinating objects and according to literature they all appear to perform similar tasks.
The vessel serves as the holder for an incense stick which is laid flat in the boat and used to measure the time, day or night. Metal weights are suspended between a fine string across the body at the various positions desired, so that the string will burn at the designated hour when the consumption of the incense stick by burning reached its point. As the burning incense causes the string to part, the little weights will fall into the metal 'dish' below, acting as a wake-up call or a particular hour in the day.

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