明崇禎 五彩海水江崖祥龍戲珠紋盤 雙圈「甲戍春孟趙府造用 」楷書款明崇禎 五彩海水江崖祥龍戲珠紋盤 雙圈「甲戍春孟趙府造用 」楷書款10 1⁄8 (26.3 cm.), diam., Japanese wood boxDetails A VERY RARE WUCAI  'DRAGON' DISHLATE MING DYNASTY, CHONGZHEN PERIOD (1628-1644)The dish is painted in the centre with a green horned dragon rising from the waves in pursuit of a flaming pearl, surrounded by swirling clouds below a band of rocks rising from crashing waves, with two further dragons on the exterior racing amidst ruyi heads and precious objects as they pursue flaming pearls. The base is inscribed in underglaze blue with an eight-character inscription, Jiaxu chunmeng Zhaofu zao yong ( Jiaxu year first Spring month, made for the use of the Zhao Mansion), within a double circle.10 1⁄8 (26.3 cm.), diam., Japanese wood box Provenance A Japanese private collection, Kyushu, formed in the 1950s, by repute品相: The mark on the present dish indicates that this was made for the Princedom of Zhao, one of the 24 principalities set up by the Hongwu Emperor during the early years of the dynasty. According to the research of Ming Wilson, the owner of this group of dishes could have been either Zhu Cigan, who inherited the title Prince of Zhao in 1617, or his successor, Zhu Changyu, who was captured by Qing troops in 1644, see discussion in Rare Marks on Chinese Ceramics, London, 1988, pp. 30-1, where one of these in the PercivalDavid Foundation is illustrated. Other dishes of this pattern and mark are found in museum and private collections worldwide, including one in the National Museum of China, illustrated in Studies of the Collection of the National Museum of China, Shanghai, 2007, no. 107 (fig. 1), one in the Shanghai Museum, illustrated in Zhongguo taoci quanji - 21 - Jingdezhen caihui ciqi, Shanghai, 1981, no. 50, one illustrated by Geng Baochang, Ming Qing ciqi jianding, p. 503, no. 77, one in the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, museum number: PDF A753, and one sold at Christie’s New York, 25 March 2010, lot 1350.