QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

The most prestigious decorative motif seen in the three-dimensional arts made for the Chinese imperial court in the Qing dynasty is the Imperial dragon - the symbol of the Son of Heaven, the Emperor himself. The horned and five-clawed dragon is depicted on the present pair nine times, where nine was a number reserved for the emperor as it is the largest single digit number. This ritual association between the imperial dragon and the number nine can be found on imperial objects across many different media. Furthermore, large-scale eighteenth-century vases decorated in the doucai palette are very unusual, and it is even more rare to find a pair, such as the present lot. The use of the sacred number nine combined with the doucai palette on a pair of vases reinforces the imperial connection, and suggests that this lot was intended for use within the Imperial household. A rare, large doucai tianqiuping decorated with a dragon and phoenix from the Sui Yuan Zhai collection, was sold at Christie’s London, 11 May 2015, lot 32. Another similar sized Qianlong mark and period doucai `nine dragon’ vase with the mouth reduced was sold at Sotheby’s London, 11 May 2022, lot 13. The dragons on the present pair of vases, however, are rendered in a more spirited manner.