A CHINESE IMPERIAL PORCELAIN DOUCAI DRAGON BOWL AND COVER YONZHENG MARK AND OF THE PERIOD with hexagonal petalled rim painted on each section with two five-clawed dragons in yellow and green, their scales heightened in black enamel between flaming pearls in iron-red, clouds and flames all above crested waves, the cover similarly decorated. Yongcheng mark and of the period. The bowl 20cm diameter; the dropped over cover 17.4cm diameter. Provenance:  From the collection of George Hathaway Taber Jr. (1859-1940) who was a prolific collector of Chinese ceramics.  He was the son of Capt George H Taber (1808-1901) who rose to be the President of Fairhaven Bank, Massachusetts.  The younger Taber made his mark as an oil executive and board member with the Gulf Oil Company.  Many of his pieces are in American museums including the Philbrook Museum, upon his death in 1940 the collection was split up between his descendants, part was sold at Sotheby's Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, 7th-8th March 1946. A similar pair from the collection of His Royal Highness Prince Henry, The Duke of Gloucester, K.G., K.T., K.P. (1900-1974) was sold by Christie's London in their auction of Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 5th November 2019, lot 173, pp. 174/5; another similar single example was sold by Christie's Hong Kong in their auction of Imperial Sale, Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 3rd June 2015, lot 3147, pp.148/9. A single example only marked on the bowl is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasure of The Palace Museum, Porcelain in Polychrome in Contrasting Colors, no. 230, p. 251