A large famille-rose 'immortals' vase, Qing dynasty, Qianlong - Jiaqing period | 清乾隆至嘉慶 珊瑚紅地描金粉彩八仙圖慶壽雙螭龍耳大瓶

Acquired directly from a French private collection.

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法國私人收藏

Vivid painting across the body of this vase depicts the 'Eight Immortals' gathered in an idyllic landscape setting and is strongly reminiscent of classical scroll paintings. See, for example, a contemporaneous painting of similar subject matter by Wang Chengpei (d.1805) in the British Museum (acc. no. 1910,0212,0.554).

The term ‘Eight Immortals’ (ba xian) refers to eight legendary figures popularly worshipped in the Daoist tradition as gods of longevity who punish evil, encourage good and help those in distress. Each immortal comes to represent a different facet of Chinese society: male and female, young and old, rich and poor, noble and meek. 

A related vase of Jiaqing mark and period, with ‘Eight Immortals’ scene on a yellow-enamel ground, was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 26th April 1998, lot 512. In its baluster form with dramatic trumpet neck and ‘phoenix’ handles, the present vase is also related to a number of similar vases from the Qianlong period. Compare a ‘landscape’ vase with similar phoenix handles of Qianlong mark and period sold in our New York rooms, 12th September 2018, lot 156; and another with a ‘hundred boys’ design on a white ground extending up the vase’s neck, also sold in our New York rooms, 21st March 2018, lot 709. See also the 'Eight Immortals' decoration on a Qianlong mark and period famille-rose lantern vase sold with Rémy Le Fur & Associés, Paris, Hotel Drouot, 25th September 2020, lot 1.

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本瓶編制龐大，瓶身描繪八仙山水圖，其風格深受中國古典繪畫之影響。可參考汪承霈（1805 年卒）同時期主題相近之作，大英博物館館藏（編號 1910,0212,0.554）。

「八仙」是道教傳統中普遍供奉八位長生不老仙人，其懲惡揚善，扶危濟困。每位仙人均代表著中國社會的不同層面：男女、老少、貧富、貴賤。

比較一例清嘉慶黃地八仙瓶，售於香港佳士得1998年4月26日，編號512。數尊雙螭龍耳大瓶出自於乾隆時期，可參考一尊粉彩湖山村隱圖錦上添花大瓶，售於紐約蘇富比2018年9月12日，編號156；另一尊百子圖龍耳大瓶於2018年3月21日於紐約蘇富比售出，編號709。