Ref: W240
Archive item - not for sale
Chinese baluster landscape vase, Kangxi (1662-1722), decorated in underglaze blue with a continuous scene of wandering deer, a crow and a crane amongst pine and a river in a mountainous landscape, the short neck encircled by pendant ruyi heads (offered subject to being available)
Notes:
The decoration of this vase is rich in the symbolism of longevity. Deer are said to be the only animal that can find lingzhi, fungi of immortality, and are also a symbol of wealth as the Chinese for deer, lu, is a homonym for the salary of an official. Pine, evergreen and long-living, is often portrayed alongside cranes, which are associated with Shoulao, the god of longevity. The prominence of such symbolism in visual culture reflects the significant role that the pursuit of long-life played in the Qing Dynasty
