Bidspirit auction | Qing Kangxi Reign: Blue-glaze Plate

Qing Kangxi Reign: Blue-glaze Plate with Incised Hidden Dragon Design - Formerly in the collection of the Jian Shan Long Quan Tang. This large, perfectly formed dish has a gently flared rim, smooth shallow walls, a broad flat centre, and a solid foot — substantial, dignified, and defined by clean, generous lines. The entire piece is glazed in a rich, saturated splash blue, deep and lustrous as precious blue jade from the ocean depths. The surface is even and pristine; light catches the glaze to reveal subtle depth and movement within its thick, congealed texture. Inside, a dragon is incised in low relief: powerful and coiling, scales and claws sharply delineated, mane streaming as it soars in pursuit of a flaming pearl amid drifting clouds. The motif flows fluidly beneath the glaze, emerging and receding in quiet beauty — presence held in reserve. The base is finished in luminous white glaze, inscribed within a double blue ring with the six-character mark: “Kangxi Period of the Great Qing Dynasty”, neatly and clearly written. Dispensing with bright enamels, this vessel conceals its decoration within deep blue — understated, solemn, and refined — embodying the poised restraint of imperial Kangxi kilns at their finest.