18C Kangxi Chinese porcelain Bowl Eight immortals Attributes Shou Lou Antique

Out of stock

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Condition Report: Overall Condition B; typical rimflakes and 1 hairline. Size 157mm diameter and 75mm high

A  Blue & White bowl, delicate piece. 18C.

A high quality lightly ribbed blue and white porcelain bowl with a compartment decor of the 8 Immortals with their attributes, on the inside decor of a Shou Lou flying on a crane, China.

He Xiangu/Lan Caihe/ Lu Dongbin/ Li Tieguai/ Zhongli Quan/ Han Xiang/ Zhang Guo or Zhang Guolao/ Cao Guojiu
The Eight Immortals is a group of legendary, semi-historical beings in both religious Daoism and popular religion, said to have obtained immortality through the elixir of life produced by alchemy or by the eating of magic fruits and according to other sources; through studying the secrets of nature which to some extent could be the same thing.

The Immortals, seven male and one female, might have originated already in the Han dynasty, though they were not represented in art until the Yuan dynasty when they seems to first have been depicted on Longquan (Celadon) ware.

Stories of the Eight Immortals were popularized in folklore, drama, novels, and wood block prints besides occurring on all kinds of ceramic and decorative objects. The eight figures represent the spectrum of Chinese society: young and old, rich and poor, civil and military, men and women. The most famous legend recounts the immortals’ adventures and conquests while exploring the sea to behold its wonders. In order to demonstrate the range of their powers, they floated down to the surface of the sea on lotus leaves for their journeys. They are identified with the onset of the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) and it is a possibility that the sea wave borders of early Chinese porcelain is to some extent referring to this fundamental story.

 

 

 

 

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