The three-clawed dragon's sinuous scally body trailing flames can be compared to examples painted on Yuan porcelains such as the blue and white dish in the Ardebil Shrine, illustrated by Misugi, Chinese Porcelain Collections in the Near East, vol. 3, fig. A7. Phoenix with long tail feathers are more commonly found on Yuan porcelain, cf. two examples in the Ardebil Shrine, op. cit., figs. A8 and A15, as well as the dish which sold in these Rooms, 2 May 1994, lot 623A

Cf. a gold crown dated to the Ming Dynasty where the filigree dragons are attached to a structure of gold mesh, in the Dingling Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Chinese Works of Art: The Complete Record, vol. 10, Gold, Silver, Glass and Enamels, fig. 155