Large eggshell-thin bowl

This large eggshell-thin bowl with a footring is glazed in monochrome greenish white. Its exterior is plainly decorated. The inner walls of this bowl are adorned with a faintly incised gan zhu long wen (dragon-chasing-pearl design), in which one dragon with double antlers and five claws is vigorously chasing a pearl among the clouds and flames. It is followed by another dragon represented in the same fashion. On the inside and at the bottom there is a faintly incised stylized reign mark yong le nian meaning Made during the Reign of Yong Le (1403-1423) [of the Ming dynasty]. The dragon is one of the most important and complex of mythical animals in China. It ranks first of 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, and 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. The genuine Yongle wares rarely bear reign marks except for a few vessel types such as ya shou bei cups (a type of cup whose width is such that its sides press against the thumb and forefinger when held in the hand.), and the depiction of the two dragons is in the typical Kangxi style (1662-1722), but it is a modern fine copy of the original Yongle work made during the late Qing dynasty.On the inside bottom there is a faintly incised stylized reign mark glaze,yong le nian zhi" meaning "Made during the Reign of Yong Le (1403-1423) [of the Ming dynasty]"