265 - IRON-RED DRAGON RETICULATED LANTERN, QING DYNASTY

IRON-RED DRAGON RETICULATED LANTERN, QING DYNASTY Dimensions: Height 13,7 cm Wide 18,7 cm Depth 18,7 cm Weight: 739 grams A globular porcelain lantern body intricately pierced with a dense openwork field of scrolling clouds, painted in underglaze blue and animated by striding five-clawed dragons in vivid iron-red enamel. The creatures twist energetically across the rounded surface with outstretched claws, while the short neck is framed by an iron-red key-fret border. Through the pierced walls, the pale celadon-glazed interior remains visible. Reticulated porcelain demanded considerable technical control: the walls had to be pierced extensively before firing while retaining enough structural integrity to survive the kiln. In a lantern, that virtuosity also served a practical purpose, allowing light to pass through the patterned body and transform the cloud scrolls into a luminous screen. The combination of red dragons and blue clouds creates a particularly dramatic effect. Imperial dragon imagery supplies power and auspicious authority, while the openwork makes the surrounding sky literally permeable to light, turning the vessel's decoration into part of its function.