Unlike European dragons, which generally connote evil, Chinese dragons are associated with the Emperor. An example of this is wide-shouldered, enameled and blue ’nine-dragon’ Imperial vase that Bonhams will be offering on November 10th in London. Bearing the Qianlong seal mark, it’s estimated at $482,000-643,000.
Dragons also feature prominently in other highlights at the sale, which include an Imperial cloisonné enamel and gilt-bronze ‘five-dragon’ scepter linked to the court of the Qianlong emperor (est.$482,000-803,000), and a rare Imperial horn and lacquer lantern featuring dragon and phoenix images amid cloud scrolls (est. $80,000-$129,000).
