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 A BLUE AND WHITE DOUBLE-GOURD ‘EIGHT   明萬曆   青花群仙獻壽圖大葫蘆瓶
 DAOIST IMMORTALS’ VASE
 MARK AND PERIOD OF WANLI  《大明萬曆年製》款
 the mouth with a six-character mark in underglaze blue
 within a rectangular cartouche, wood stand, Japanese wood
 box (4)
 Height 18¾ in., 47.7 cm
 The present vase is impressive for its large size, robust
 potting and dynamic painting. To the lower bulb, the Eight
 Daoist Immortals are vividly painted. Dressed in billowing
 robes and separated by cloud scrolls, the immortals are
 shown carrying auspicious objects or vessels and depicted
 in motion as if parading after one another. The upper section
 shows a seated Shoulao under a pine tree, accompanied
 by Liuhai with his three-legged toad and other attendants.
 Imbued with auspicious Daoist imagery, the vase is a well-
 wishing gift for long life and success. The double-gourd shape
 of the present lot is also symbolic: it represents longevity
 and is associated with the Daoist Immortal Li Tieguai who is
 depicted holding a double-gourd containing a magic potion
 to the lower section.
 Extremely rare, the present vase has a six-character mark to
 the mouth rim. See a closely related example, of the same
 form and motif, but with Xiwangmu (Queen Mother of the
 West) depicted to the upper section and without a mark,
 in the National Palace Museum, Taipei (accession no. 故瓷
 008087N000000000).
 The combination of the Eight Immortals motif and the
 double-gourd form finds its inspiration in blue and white
 vases that were popular during the reign of Wanli’s
 grandfather, the Jiajing Emperor, who was a devote Daoist.
 For Jiajing marked examples of a slightly larger size, see one,
 previously in the collection of J. Piermont Morgan, illustrated
 in Catalogue of The Morgan Collections of Chinese Porcelains,
 New York, 1907, no. 243 and sold in our Hong Kong rooms,
 7th October 2006, lot 918; another, in the British Museum,
 London, illustrated in Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in
 the British Museum, London, 2001, pl. 9:36.
 ⊖  $ 70,000-90,000




























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