A large Chinese blue and white “dragon and carp” dish. Kangxi
Painted in tones of cobalt blue with a large sinewy dragon thrusts its self up through crashing waves and chasing the flaming pearl. On the left a carp is mutating into a small dragon and leaps from the foaming sea. The border with crashing waves and prunus flower-heads, the back of the dish with a seal mark.
- Country:
- China
- Period :
- Kangxi (166-1722)
- Material:
- Porcelain
- Dimension:
- 10,82 in. (27,5 cm)
- Reference :
- D802
- Status:
- sold
Notice
There is an old Chinese legend about a carp which transforms into a dragon and climbs a waterfall on its way to the upper reaches of the Yellow River, it is thus one of the symbols of the scholar, who pursues his studies through hardships. The subject is also associated with the rebus yuhualong, ‘fish transforming into dragon’, which implies the wish for success in the civil service examinations.
Photography : Jérémie Beylard / Agence PHAR
