A LARGE IRON-RED 'DRAGON' FISHBOWL QING DYNASTY, 19TH CENTURY

of compressed ovoid form, resting on a narrow base and rising to broad shoulders and an incurved lipped rim, boldly painted with two sinuous dragons flying amidst flame wisps and clusters of clouds, each with a thorny ridged spine, pronounced antlers, long talons, snarled face, chasing a 'flaming pearl', between upright wave lappets encircling the base and a ruyi-head border at the mouth, the interior glazed white, the footring and recessed base unglazed
Diameter 16 in., 40.6 cm

Provenance:
A related iron-red and gilt jardinière of globular form with a galleried rim, attributed to the 19th century, sold at Christie's New York, 1st February 2005, lot 350. See also two underglaze-blue fishbowls with similar subject matter and attributed to the 19th century: the first of U-form, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 24th May 1981, lot 1585; the second of cylindrical form and sold in these rooms, 24th January 1975, lot 419A.

A Qianlong period fishbowl of very similar shape and design to the present, painted in underglaze-blue and copper-red, is in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, coll. no. C.139-1913.