Bowl with dragons

A pair of five-clawed dragons pursue flaming pearls in repeated waves on the interior bottom and the outer sides of this bowl. The motif was incised first, then the dragons were applied with copper colorant, and finally, the bowl was covered with a colorless glaze. The pearls and wave patterns are only faintly visible, shadowed by the brilliant red on the dragons. This piece is significant for its shape, stylistic design, and the rendering of the dragon with two horizontally lined eyes, all of which became decorative conventions on Ming and Qing imperial bowls.