Clair de lune-glazed water coupe

The vessel has a hemispherical (beehive-shaped) form, and is shaped similar to the Taibai water pot or tai bai zun, also known as the pot in the shape of a fisherman's basket (yu fu zun). The only difference is that it has no neck. It has a small inverted mouth of only 3 cm and a shallow footring. Both the mouthrim and footring are left in a regular white glaze. The exterior of the hemispherical body is decorated with three evenly spaced medallions of archaic dragon designs. The dragon is one of the most important and complex of mythical animals in China. It ranks first among the "Four Supernatural Spirits," the phoenix being the second, the lin (unicorn) third and the tortoise fourth. A great variety of dragons are portrayed in Chinese art, often chasing a pearl and almost always surrounded by flames. Although its appearance always looks ferocious, it is the most benevolent of creatures. It was the god of rain, who brought thunder, lightning, rain, and thus fertility and abundance to the land. The dragon also represents the male principle of nature (yang), a symbol of vigor and fertility. In the early period it was worshiped by the Chinese as one of the four beasts of good augury. Later on it became one of the symbolic animals of the Four Directions. It stands for the east, which is associated with the sunrise, fertility, and spring rain. Its counterpart is the white tiger of the west, the land of the underworld. The other two animals of the Four Directions are the bird of the south, and the snake and turtle of the north. In certain manifestations, the dragon exclusively represented the emperor who sat on the dragon throne, and was borne aloft by dragons when he died. Since the Han dynasty, the five-clawed dragon has been the symbol of the emperor. This special monochrome blue glaze is described in contemporary technical terms as clair de lune (moonlight) in French. This is a high-fired light blue glaze created in the first half of the eighteenth century (early Qing). Containing 1% cobalt, it is quite the equal of the peach bloom (jiang dou hong) glaze in delicacy and appeal. The best pieces are mainly small vessels produced in the imperial kiln during the Kangxi and Yongzheng reigns. On the base of the footring there is a reign mark "da qing kang xi nian zhi" meaning "Made during the Kangxi Reign of the Great Qing," in three columns and in underglaze cobalt blue. However, this is not a genuine Kangxi reign mark. First of all, the characters 'da' and 'qing' exhibit a defective and odd writing style. Further, when taking a close look, the mark is actually written in hollow lines, a practice frequently adopted on later replicas of early 20th century. Therefore, this clair de lune-glazed beehive-shaped water coupe is dated to the early 20th century, approximately from 1900 to 1930