Date:ca. 1735 Culture:Chinese, for European market Medium:Hard-paste porcelain painted with enamels over transparent glaze (Jingdezhen ware) Dimensions:Overall: 2 1/4 × 4 3/4 in. (5.7 × 12.1 cm) Classification:Ceramics-Porcelain-Export Credit Line:The Hans Syz Collection, Gift of Stephan B. Syz and John D. Syz, 1995 Accession Number:1995.268.178 On the exterior, a dragon sports with a flaming pearl. Because of its auspicious associations, this traditional Chinese motif frequently appeared on objects intended for use at the imperial court. By the sixteenth century, dragons were freely used as motifs on objects intended for public consumption, provided the dragon had only four claws—the fiveclaw version was reserved for the emperor.
Date:ca. 1735 Culture:Chinese, for European market Medium:Hard-paste porcelain painted with enamels over transparent glaze (Jingdezhen ware) Dimensions:Overall: 2 1/4 × 4 3/4 in. (5.7 × 12.1 cm) Classification:Ceramics-Porcelain-Export Credit Line:The Hans Syz Collection, Gift of Stephan B. Syz and John D. Syz, 1995 Accession Number:1995.268.178 On the exterior, a dragon sports with a flaming pearl. Because of its auspicious associations, this traditional Chinese motif frequently appeared on objects intended for use at the imperial court. By the sixteenth century, dragons were freely used as motifs on objects intended for public consumption, provided the dragon had only four claws—the fiveclaw version was reserved for the emperor.