Sale 68 The Jane and Dan Sten Olsson Collection of Large Dragons Sale 3

China, Proofs : Large Dragon with Extra Circle removed 3ca. brown-red imperforate on thin wove paper, Setting III, block of four [16-8/7-5] with 8.5mm. sheet margin at right, clear bright colour, sharp highly accomplished impression, top row of stamps has two light bends/creases, very fine and a key multiple from this rare Setting.
Estimate 180,000 - 220,000

Provenance: Sir Percival David, Robson Lowe (London), 4.10.1967, lot 17
Paul Hock, Christie's Robson Lowe (Zurich), 19.10.1983, lot 25
Anna-Lisa and Sven-Eric Beckeman, Sotheby's and Corinphila (Zurich), 7.11.1996, lot A33.

AN IMPORTANT POSITIONAL PIECE AND THE ONLY RECORDED MULTIPLE OF A PROOF FROM THIS SETTING OTHER THAN TWO COMPLETE SHEETS.

Settings III and IV have identical arrangement and positioning of the clichés, except for position 19, where cliché [7] in Setting III became defective and was replaced by a new reserve cliché [26], thereby resulting in Setting IV. In this block, cliché [7] already shows damage in the top and left legend panels. This substitution of cliché [7] from Setting III by cliché [26] of Setting IV is the only difference between the two Settings.