A LARGE BLUE GLAZED MARTABAN CERAMIC 'DRAGON' JARSouthern China (?), 20th centuryTo the exterior of the body a dragon in relief, the shouder with a series of small handles each with a dragon's head finial, the mouth underlined by a series of ribs, the whole external surface covered with a brilliant blue glaze.100 cm highProvenance: Italian private collection.This large jar belongs to that group of glazed ceramic containers known as 'Martaban', named after a port on the west coast of Burma (now Myanmar) which in the past was an important trade center between southern China and the other southern Asian countries. Used to contain goods of various kinds, these jars - often large - were made with similar technical methods not only in China but also in Vietnam, Thailand and in other neighboring countries, and for this reason it is not always easy to accurately identify their place of production.The Princessehof Museum in Leeuwarden in the Netherlands houses one of the largest collections of Martaban ceramics in the world.