Bottle ID: 00167

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YELLOW W/YELLOW OVERLAY, COILING DRAGONS

Date: 1750-1800

Height: 66 mm

Glass, of elongated ovoid form with a slightly everted mouth, overlaid in opaque egg-yolk yellow over clear amber-yellow and carved continuously with coiling Qilong dragons, an adult dragon on one side, the reverse with two young dragons, resting on a neatly carved footrim.
Imperial, attributed to the Palace Workshops, Beijing.

Similar Examples:

Sotheby's, Hong Kong, October 30, 1990, Kaynes-Klitz Collection, Part II, lot 33.
Sotheby's, Hong Kong, October 28, 1993, Eric Young, Part IV, lot 1072.
Sotheby's, New York, September 14, 2010, lot 116, The Joe Grimberg Collection.

Provenance:

Clare Lawrence Ltd.
The Monimar Collection
Robert Hall
Hugh Moss
Christie's, London, June 14, 1971, lot 5
The Ko Family Collection

Exhibited:

Annual Convention ICSBS Toronto, October 2007

There is no greater or more auspicious being than the dragon with its formidable power and potent masculine yang. As a result, the Palace Workshops output often depicts dragons in differing form and style in its subject matter. The dramatic rendering of these dragons is emphasized by the use of a strong color combination of opaque yellow on clear amber-yellow. Very few bottles achieve the fluidity of carving that is evident here where the design seems to be one continuous coiling pattern of entwined dragons. Although the date of 1750-1800 has been given, it may be possible to narrow it down to the very end of the 18th century, that is to say, 1795-1800. Y.F. Yang in his later years mentioned that the use of two imperial colors of yellow in this way on an overlay bottle, was executed by the Palace Workshops as a tribute to the Qianlong Emperor after he abdicated in 1795 out of respect to his Grandfather, the Kangxi Emperor and until he died in 1800. Obviously this is only hearsay, although from a venerated dealer, but at its worst is still a charming idea.

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