Beschreibung:

AN EXCEPTIONALLY LARGE AND RARE CARVED CELADON-GLAZED 'DRAGON' VASE QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD of monumental size, the ovoid body rising from a splayed foot and sweeping up to a waisted neck, the exterior crisply carved overall in varying levels of relief with a lively and unusual scene of five three-clawed dragons, the principal dragon centered and full-frontal flanked by four striding dragons, with front claws clasping long lingzhi stems, with the central dragon grasping a further lingzhi head in its mouth, the bodies finely detailed with small raised spots, all framed within a band of ruyi at the shoulder with a border of lotus lappets below and a pendent trefoil band at the foot, the neck encircled by a broad band of upright stylized plantain leaves, covered overall with a watery celadon-green glaze, skillfully transmuting to white along the higher relief details and pooling to a sea-green in the recesses, the base unglazed, the reduced neck mounted in silver Height 31 1/2 in., 80.2 cm