A blue and white 'dragon' washer. Mark and period of Wanli..

A blue and white 'dragon' washer. Mark and period of Wanli.. Photo Sotheby's

the shallow rounded sides rising from a tapered foot, painted around the low sides with a frieze of four dragons pacing amid flickering flames in pursuit of 'flaming pearls', below a border of bajixiang interspersed with lingzhi sprigs at the rim covered in a pale wash, the footring encircled with a continuous scroll border, the base inscribed with a six-character mark in underglaze-blue; 22.6 cm., 9 in. Estimate 250,000—350,000 HKD. Lot Sold 680,000 HKD

PROVENANCE: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 7th May 2002, lot 597

Sotheby's. Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art, 08 Apr 11, Hong Kong www.sothebys.com