Famille Rose Ginger Jar with Celestial Dragons

During the 18th century, Europeans provided an eager market for Chinese export porcelain, especially the colorful and fanciful ware known as “famille rose.” Named for a palette of opaque overglaze enamels that favored roses and pinks, famille rose porcelain ware was crafted with the same technical virtuosity as imperial porcelain but designed for Western tastes.

This oval ginger jar is beautifully decorated in the famille rose style with two fearsome dragons soaring through cloud-filled skies. Painted in mirrored postures, the two sinuous dragons are racing towards a flaming pearl, an emblem of the sun, of the moon, of balance, and of power. A traditional motif conveying strength and good fortune, the two dragons are skillfully rendered with intricate detail amid fluffy clouds and crashing waves.