QIANLONG PERIOD

With their bulging black eyes and iron-red scaly bodies, these snarling dragon fish tureens are reminiscent of other very rare Chinese marine life tureens, the eccentric crabs and magnificent large carp. Dragons, though often depicted with fierce demeanor, are benevolent symbols in traditional Chinese culture, and closely associated with carp because of the famous Dragon Gate myth in which a carp swimming upstream becomes a dragon, symbolizing perseverance and strength.

Another pair of this very rare form (with a single stand) is in the RA Collection of Chinese Ceramics and illustrated by M.A.P. de Matos, A Collector's Vision, Jorge Welsh Oriental Books, 2011, p 110.