A FINE AND RARE IMPERIAL DOUCAI PORCELAIN DRAGON AND PHOENIX VASE AND COVER, China, underglaze blue Jiaqing seal mark and period -Provenance: From an Austrian private collection, received around 1962 as gift from the mother of the present owner - The dragon, long, and the phoenix, fenghuang, were explicit emblems of the emperor and empress, respectively, since the Han dynasty. When the dragon and phoenix are combined in a single design, they evoke an image of imperial power and strength. Cf. a doucai meiping and cover dated to the Qianlong period in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 38 - Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 259, no. 237 - Lost piece to rim, very minor wear