This underglaze blue octagonal porcelain vase is decorated with flowerheads on the shoulder and two four-clawed dragons casing a flaming pearl in the clouds above a wave pattern on the base. The base is sunken, glazed and marked with four Kangxi character marks in underglaze blue. The round lid is decorated with clouds. The dragon is an important Chinese mythological beast and traditionally symbolizes potent and auspicious powers, particularly control over water, rainfall, and floods. The five-clawed dragon is associated with the emperor, while the four-clawed dragon, like the crane, is associated with the empress.