A FINE AND RARE PAIR OF BLUE AND WHITE 'DRAGON' BOWLS, China, underglaze blue Yongzheng six-character marks and of the period, each with deep rounded sides supported on a short straight foot, the exterior decorated in rich cobalt-blue tones with two five-clawed dragons soaring amidst cloud scrolls, the interior centred with a medallion enclosing a writhing dragon, the base inscribed with a six-character reign mark within a double circle - Provenance: Old and important European private collection, according to records bought in Beijing 1923 - The current pair of bowls exemplifies the Yongzheng Emperor's admiration for celebrated Chinese ceramics and antiquity as well as his desire to uphold such traditions. Decorated in rich cobalt-blue tones against a plain white ground in a Ming dynasty fashion, the dragons call to mind a motif that gained popularity from the early Ming dynasty, which can be seen decorated on bowls of virtually every period since the reign of Chenghua. Compare three related examples from the Chenghua, Hongzhi and Wanli reigns in the collection of the Shanghai Museum, included in Lu Minghua, Mingdai guanyao ciqi [Ming imperial porcelain], Shanghai, 2007, pls 1-84, 3-61 and 3-69. Bowls of this type, powerfully portrayed with Ming-style dragons, were produced in pairs. Compare three related pairs. For a pair from the Goldschmidt collection, see Sotheby's Hongkong, 8.10.2019, lot 3111 - Fine condition Paar feine kaiserliche unterglasurblaue Drachenschalen aus Porzellan CHINA, Yongzheng-Sechszeichenmarken und Periode D. 9,5 cm Provenienz: Aus einer alten und bedeutenden europäischen Privatsammlung, laut Aufzeichnungen in Peking 1923 erworben - Schön erhalten