Dish with Design of Two Dragons Chasing a Flaming Pearl amidst Clouds
- Culture
- Ryūkyūan
- Dynasty
- Second Shō dynasty, 1470–1879
- Date
- 18th century
- made in
- Ryukyu Islands, Japan, Asia
- Classification
- Containers, lacquerware
- Collection
- Asian Art
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 1 1/2 × 13 5/8 in. (3.8 × 34.6 cm)
- Credit Line
- The Langenberg Endowment Fund
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 5:2020
NOTES
The interior of this large circular lacquered dish is inlaid with exquisite mother-of-pearl. The bold decoration features two five-clawed dragons amidst clouds encircling a flaming pearl in the center. The rounded sides are divided into eight sections, alternately adorned with four different Buddhist emblems and with hexagonal patterns. The decorative motifs are represented with thin iridescent mother-of-pearl from the shells of abalone, which are found in the waters of the Ryūkyūs, a chain of small islands in the Pacific Ocean between Taiwan and Japan.
The distinctive tradition of lacquerware, seen in this dish, developed in the Ryūkyū Kingdom (1429–1879) through its trade with neighboring countries and became an important export. A government facility in the Ryūkyū royal capital, Shuri, was responsible for managing the production of exquisite objects used as tribute gifts for the emperor of China as well as the "shōgun" (military dictator) and "daimyō" (feudal lords) in Japan.
Provenance
2015/06/03
At auction, Lempertz Cologne, Asiatische Kunst (Asian Art), Auktion 1053 (Auction 1053), June 3–5, 2015, lot no. 358 [1]
2015 - 2020
Ben Janssens Oriental Art (Ben Janssens), London, England, purchased at auction from Kunsthaus Lempertz [2]
2020 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Ben Janssens Oriental Art [3]
Notes:
[1] This object is published in Lempertz Cologne, Asiatische Kunst (Asian Art), Auktion 1053 (Auction 1053), June 3–5, 2015 (Cologne, Germany: Auktionshaus Lempertz, 2015), lot no. 358 (color illustration).
[2] This object is published in Ben Janssens Oriental Art, Mythical Animals: Asian Art in London 2019 (London: Ben Janssens Oriental Art, 2019); and Susan Moore, "Asian Art in London," Apollo, vol. 190, no. 680 (November 2019), pp. 50–51, fig. 1 (color illustration on p. 50, textual description on p. 51). See also invoice from Ben Janssens Oriental Art dated January 29, 2020 [SLAM document files]
[2] Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, February 24, 2020.
At auction, Lempertz Cologne, Asiatische Kunst (Asian Art), Auktion 1053 (Auction 1053), June 3–5, 2015, lot no. 358 [1]
2015 - 2020
Ben Janssens Oriental Art (Ben Janssens), London, England, purchased at auction from Kunsthaus Lempertz [2]
2020 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Ben Janssens Oriental Art [3]
Notes:
[1] This object is published in Lempertz Cologne, Asiatische Kunst (Asian Art), Auktion 1053 (Auction 1053), June 3–5, 2015 (Cologne, Germany: Auktionshaus Lempertz, 2015), lot no. 358 (color illustration).
[2] This object is published in Ben Janssens Oriental Art, Mythical Animals: Asian Art in London 2019 (London: Ben Janssens Oriental Art, 2019); and Susan Moore, "Asian Art in London," Apollo, vol. 190, no. 680 (November 2019), pp. 50–51, fig. 1 (color illustration on p. 50, textual description on p. 51). See also invoice from Ben Janssens Oriental Art dated January 29, 2020 [SLAM document files]
[2] Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, February 24, 2020.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.