A VERY RARE PAIR OF IMPERIAL DOUCAI 'DRAGON' DISHES Yongzheng six-character marks and of the period (3)A VERY RARE PAIR OF IMPERIAL DOUCAI 'DRAGON' DISHESYongzheng six-character marks and of the periodThe delicately potted dishes brilliantly decorated in a characteristic wucai palette of darker and lighter green, iron-red, aubergine and yellow enamels, each with a ferocious front-facing five-clawed dragon soaring amidst flames and colourful clouds in pursuit of a flaming pearl, encircled by five striding dragons chasing flaming pearls painted in underglaze blue beneath a gilt rim, the exterior vividly decorated with four phoenix in flight divided by stylised cloud wisps, fitted box. 19.7cm (7 7/8in) diam. (3).清雍正 鬥彩龍鳳紋盤一對青花「大清雍正年製」楷書款Provenance: an English private collection, and thence by descent來源：英國私人收藏，並由後人保存迄今Visually commanding for the powerful design of a dragon writhing amidst flames, balanced by the elegance of the four phoenixes, depicted flying on the underside amidst ruyi clouds, the current dishes are magnificent examples of the technical proficiency of craftsmen employed at the Imperial kilns in Jingdezhen. The creative ingenuity of the Yongzheng potter is evident in the perfectly positioned and spaced elements of the design so that attention is cleverly drawn to the central dragon.The dragon decoration on the present dish appears to be a direct continuation of the Kangxi period, as demonstrated in the design of the dragon on a polychrome dish, Kangxi, illustrated in The Complete Collection of the Treasures of the Palace Museum: Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, Shanghai, 2007, p.117, pl.107. The similarity of the central design to the Kangxi period example suggests an early Yongzheng date for the present lot, as it is of more refined quality in its potting and enamelling characteristic of the Yongzheng period.Dishes decorated with similar 'dragon and phoenix' designs, such as the present examples, appear to be extremely rare. A few similar examples can be found in important museum collections, such as the doucai dragon dish, Yongzheng mark and period, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, museum no.C.45-1928; another example, formerly in the Tsui Museum of Art, is illustrated in The Tsui Museum of Art, Chinese Ceramics IV, Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 1995, pl.126.Compare with a similar imperial doucai 'dragon' dish, Yongzheng six-character mark and of the period, which was sold in Bonhams Hong Kong, 28 November, 2017.