DRAGON AND WAVES.

19th century-Early Modern Period, China. One of the first animals to be represented in Chinese art, the dragon is a potent and sensuous form much beloved of artists and philosophers. The manners in which it manifests itself are as numerous as the symbolic messages it bears. King of the animal world, mate to the phoenix, guardian of the east, the dragon rises from its watery palaces in the spring, ascending into the heavens from which it will proffer rain to newly-planted fields (Zhao 2, p. 236). Connotations of fertility are strongly associated with the imaginary creature, whose body is composed of parts borrowed from real animals. Unlike other animals, its body is allowed to change with the passage of years, and there are youthful, mature, and old forms: all of which are popular in art. In early East Asian tomb paintings, dragons occupy the east side of the tomb, with the phoenix on the south, tiger on the west, and the turtle/snake duo on the north. In other early works of art, including jade carvings, the dragon may appear as a compound dragon-horse (Palmer, #34, a late 17th century jade) or dragon-fish (Wan Seattle, p. 66, #41, a 13th-14th century jade plaque), or it might be paired with a phoenix (male-female, emperor-empress), or tiger (rain and wind, east and west). These images are maintained over the centuries and joined by other popular combinations such as the dragon in association with clouds or waves (rain, fertility), another dragon (chasing the elusive “flaming pearl”), or an entire kingdom composed of dragons of differing “official” rank. Dragons may function as gods in their own right or serve as vehicles for other gods and lesser Buddhist, Daoist and folk deities (Rosenzweig, p. 163, 165-70; Zhao, pp. 72-86; Zhao 2, pp. 237-40). In summary, dragons have cosmological, ritual, and agricultural implications, many of which are explored in jade carvings over the centuries. Dragons are not only symbolically charged, they are also useful and compliant beasts for artistic purposes, since they can be draped and twisted around, up, or down objects so easily. In later years. and in both China and Japan, they are often contorted into a writhing circle to provide a support for crystal balls set on their bodies or in their mouths. Dragons as functional stands for such balls are not unique to jade; they appear in the metal arts and cloisonne as well, and are treated with the greatest respect by workmen fashioning this shape (Moss, p. 285, #141, and Moss 2, p. 18, gilt bronze versions). This horned and bushy-tailed dragon, riding on agitated waves, spews a foaming cloud from his mouth; nearby the flaming pearl bobs on a small rush of water. His eyes bulge and glare, his legs are tensed and prepared to move, and the entire work is well-detailed through repeated application of incised and low-relief patterns (as in Watt Seattle, p. 98, #77, a similar fully-detailed dragon, of the Qianlong period). Departing from the norm, this dragon is not bearded, nor is it leonine-maned (Munsterberg, p. 42, #38) or winged. Flames do not radiate from its joints, nor is its head particularly massive and imposing, as is so often the case in the Ming (Keverne, p. 137, #21; Watt Seattle, p. 78, #51). The creature is executed in full round, with incised waves on the otherwise flat base. The material is adventurously worked, with enormous openings through the coiled body leading to two interior cavities, and the overall polish is admirable. As D’Argence has written, the “perpetual posture of combat” as illustrated here, as well as the two-pronged antlers, enormous mouth, and firmly-planted paws are characteristic of mid- Qing dragons (D’Argence, p. 158, pl. LXXII). The “Li” dragon, or dragon of the sea, the subject of this Yangtze River collection sculpture is among the more popular forms taken by this essential creature in Qing art. Reference: The Yangtze River Collection, Later Chinese Jades published by Helga Wall-Apelt, 1993. SIZE: 6″ x 10.5″ x 6.63″. (15.2 x 26.7 x 16.8 cm.) CONDITION: Well carved and polished. Very good. 9-94922 (15,000-20,000) – Lot 38

Auction: FAAA - Wall-Apelt Collection - March 2015

Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

Image	Lot	Price	Description
	38	$0.00	DRAGON AND WAVES. 19th century-Early Modern Period, China. One of the first animals to be represented in Chinese art, the dragon is a potent and sensuous form much beloved of artists and philosophers. The manners in which it manifests itself are as numerous as the symbolic messages it bears. King of the animal world, mate to the phoenix, guardian of the east, the dragon rises from its watery palaces in the spring, ascending into the heavens from which it will proffer rain to newly-planted fields (Zhao 2, p. 236). Connotations of fertility are strongly associated with the imaginary creature, whose body is composed of parts borrowed from real animals. Unlike other animals, its body is allowed to change with the passage of years, and there are youthful, mature, and old forms: all of which are popular in art. In early East Asian tomb paintings, dragons occupy the east side of the tomb, with the phoenix on the south, tiger on the west, and the turtle/snake duo on the north. In other early works of art, including jade carvings, the dragon may appear as a compound dragon-horse (Palmer, #34, a late 17th century jade) or dragon-fish (Wan Seattle, p. 66, #41, a 13th-14th century jade plaque), or it might be paired with a phoenix (male-female, emperor-empress), or tiger (rain and wind, east and west). These images are maintained over the centuries and joined by other popular combinations such as the dragon in association with clouds or waves (rain, fertility), another dragon (chasing the elusive “flaming pearl”), or an entire kingdom composed of dragons of differing “official” rank. Dragons may function as gods in their own right or serve as vehicles for other gods and lesser Buddhist, Daoist and folk deities (Rosenzweig, p. 163, 165-70; Zhao, pp. 72-86; Zhao 2, pp. 237-40). In summary, dragons have cosmological, ritual, and agricultural implications, many of which are explored in jade carvings over the centuries. Dragons are not only symbolically charged, they are also useful and compliant beasts for artistic purposes, since they can be draped and twisted around, up, or down objects so easily. In later years. and in both China and Japan, they are often contorted into a writhing circle to provide a support for crystal balls set on their bodies or in their mouths. Dragons as functional stands for such balls are not unique to jade; they appear in the metal arts and cloisonne as well, and are treated with the greatest respect by workmen fashioning this shape (Moss, p. 285, #141, and Moss 2, p. 18, gilt bronze versions). This horned and bushy-tailed dragon, riding on agitated waves, spews a foaming cloud from his mouth; nearby the flaming pearl bobs on a small rush of water. His eyes bulge and glare, his legs are tensed and prepared to move, and the entire work is well-detailed through repeated application of incised and low-relief patterns (as in Watt Seattle, p. 98, #77, a similar fully-detailed dragon, of the Qianlong period). Departing from the norm, this dragon is not bearded, nor is it leonine-maned (Munsterberg, p. 42, #38) or winged. Flames do not radiate from its joints, nor is its head particularly massive and imposing, as is so often the case in the Ming (Keverne, p. 137, #21; Watt Seattle, p. 78, #51). The creature is executed in full round, with incised waves on the otherwise flat base. The material is adventurously worked, with enormous openings through the coiled body leading to two interior cavities, and the overall polish is admirable. As D’Argence has written, the “perpetual posture of combat” as illustrated here, as well as the two-pronged antlers, enormous mouth, and firmly-planted paws are characteristic of mid- Qing dragons (D’Argence, p. 158, pl. LXXII). The “Li” dragon, or dragon of the sea, the subject of this Yangtze River collection sculpture is among the more popular forms taken by this essential creature in Qing art. Reference: The Yangtze River Collection, Later Chinese Jades published by Helga Wall-Apelt, 1993. SIZE: 6″ x 10.5″ x 6.63″. (15.2 x 26.7 x 16.8 cm.) CONDITION: Well carved and polished. Very good. 9-94922 (15,000-20,000) – Lot 38 Auction: FAAA - Wall-Apelt Collection - March 2015 Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

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DRAGON AND WAVES.