Fantastic Chinese Rose Famille Porcelain pot with applied Dragon and aquatic creature. Qianlong Mark on base. Applied dragon and its counterpart are meant to represent Yin Yang (one hot, the other cold). I believe this dragon is considered a "hydra" split-tailed dragon, meant to symbolize playfulness of a young dragon. It has three claws on each foot. The Chinese believe that the dragon symbolizes emperor, strength, yang principal, lord of aquatic creatures. The other applied creature might be a three legged frog which symbolizes magic or the unattainable. This is a beautifully decorated pot that measures 4 1/4" in height x 3" top diameter. Other than some small breaks to the dragon on his left side (as shown), this pot is in excellent condition. Notice the delicate teeth/tongue details on the dragon's mouth. There's a tiny dab of black pen ink on the dragon's upper lip. This is not a chip. I'm not sure how to remove that. I find this piece to be very interesting and unusual. In addition to the red iron 4 character Qianlong Nian Zhi mark on the base, it is also stamped China in red. There are traces of "orange peel" on the inside of the pot. Early Republic Period c. 1900-1930.

Item #PC194