Name and Specifications: Longquan Kiln Folded Rim Plate with Applied Flying Dragon Design, 36cm in diameter, folded rim, arc belly, broad bottom and short circular legs.

Market Value: The pre-sale estimate for this plate was RMB 30,000-50,000 (US $3,600-6,000), but it actually fetched RMB 451,000 (US $55,000) at the Spring 2005 China Guardian Auction.

Yuan Dynasty Longquan Kiln: The Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) is noted for its proliferation of fine porcelains, more having been produced in this period than in the preceding Song Dynasty (960-1279), China’s “golden age of ceramics.” Kilns in the north gradually declined as those in the south began to predominate, best represented by the ceramics produced in the Longquan kilns of Zhejiang Province and Jingdezhen kilns of Jiangxi Province. Longquan kilns specialized in celadon ware in dense green glaze. Their designs were many and varied, for example, carved, incised, impressed, applied, embossed or decorated in a brown and red dotted design. During the Yuan Dynasty the dragon motif was most popular. It was the decorative feature of such pieces as pear-shaped vases, octagonal plates, four-handled flasks and two-eared, three-footed burners. The dragon design was also embossed on Bo earthen bowls used for food and tea, four handled bottles and in relief on decorative plates. At that time, Longquan kiln porcelains were much sought after by Chinese collectors and also exported in large quantities. Longquan kiln porcelains have recently come to light among excavated cultural relics in Japan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Pakistan, India, and Egypt’s ancient harbors. The 1976 discovery of a sunken Yuan Dynasty ship in the seabed off South Korea included 17,000 Yuan Dynasty porcelain articles, of which 9,000 were from the Longquan kilns.

Artistic Value: This densely glazed plate belongs to a Japanese collector. At its center is the applied design of a three-clawed dragon on a cloud playing with a fireball. During the Yuan Dynasty this style of folded brim plate was made specifically for Muslim nobles in Central and Western Asia. Similar porcelain articles are housed in Turkey’s Topkapi Palace Museum. Longquan kiln porcelains are distinctive for their winged dragon designs.

Photo courtesy of China Guardian Auctions Co. Ltd.