A rare Chinese moulded white-ground blue and white 'dragon' vase

The vase is finely decorated with four roundels each enclosing a four-clawed dragon chasing the flaming pearl, all reserved on a carved and moulded white-glazed ground of densely scrolling leafy peonies. The rim is mounted in gilt metal.

The porcelain, 23.5 cm. high

Catalogue notes: It is rare to see this type of blue and white vase with a moulded peony ground, but when they do appear, they can picture dragons, figures, and landscape panels on a ground of white glaze (like the present lot) or celadon.

Compare a phoenix-tail vase with an identical design sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 4 April 2017, lot 124. It can be surmised that the current lot would have originally resembled that which was sold in Hong Kong. Compare also a gu vase sold at Sotheby's London, 12 July 2006, lot 630 decorated with landscape and figural panels.