Ref: Q641
£ 750
Price is subject to availability and market conditions.
Chinese square-section famille rose vase, Yongzheng (1723-35), each side of the tapering body decorated in overglaze enamels with two of the eight immortals amongst clouds, the shoulders with a blue and yellow roundel against a turquoise diaper ground, the flaring neck with boys at play.
Notes:
The Eight Immortals are a legendary group of Daoist figures said to have lived during the Tang or Song dynasties, and appear as a group on artwork dating back to the Jin dynasty, though evidence survives suggesting that worship of individual Daoist immortal figures was prevalent during the Han. They are Lu Dongbin呂洞賓, a scholar and poet considered the leader of the immortals; Zhongli Quan 鍾離權, associated with death and said to be able to produce precious metals, sometimes depicted holding a fan; Cao Guojiu曹國舅, said to be related to a Song dynasty emperor in his mortal life, often depicted in official robes and holding ‘paiban’ (traditional Chinese clappers), regarded as the patron deity of the performing arts; Zhang Guolao張果老, depicted carrying a fish drum (a tube-shaped bamboo drum with two iron striking rods); Han Xiangzi韓湘子, a flautist; He Xiangu何仙姑, a female immortal often depicted holding a lotus; Lan Caihe藍采和, originally depicted in female form, the patron deity of florists and gardeners and Li Tieguai李鐵拐, associated with medicine and easing the suffering of the sick, identifiable by his calabash bottle.
