Bidspirit auction | Rare blue-and-white 'Ingot-Shaped' Dragon Box

Rare blue-and-white 'Ingot-Shaped' Dragon Box with Lid - Rare blue-and-white 'Ingot-Shaped' Dragon Box with Lid Wanli six-character mark in underglaze blue in a single line. China, probably Qing Dynasty. Porcelain, painted in underglaze blue. L. approx. 22 cm, H. approx. 9.8 cm. With Wanli six-character mark in underglaze blue in a single line. Good condition. Small chip on the rim, approx. 0.4 cm. The lid is decorated in rich cobalt blue tones with a pair of dragons competing for a 'flaming pearl' in a raised field corresponding to the ingot shape. The rounded sides of the box and lid are decorated with borders of striding dragons, and the rims feature a narrow band of triangular diamond pattern. The depiction of two opposing five-clawed dragons chasing a flaming pearl is a motif reserved exclusively for the imperial sphere. This box with a Wanli mark is particularly remarkable because its shape is extremely rare, the cobalt blue painting carries imperial symbolism, and very few authentic pieces from the Wanli period (1573-1620) have survived. However, this box presumably dates from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Many well-known comparable pieces are in important collections, including those of Edward T. Chow, T. Y. Chao, and various European private collections.