Page 71 - Bonhams Roy David's Collection Nov 2014 London

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A famille verte ‘Liuhai and the Hehe
Erxian’ rouleau vase
Kangxi
The cylindrical body vividly painted in the famille
verte palette with a continuous scene of Liu Hai
holding his three legged toad and another Immortal
carrying a long string of gold coins, facing them are
the Hehe Erxian, the twin Immortals of harmony
and union carrying a lotus and a box, the figures
framed by gnarling pine trees and craggy rocks, the
shoulder with four cartouches each containing two
butterflies, the neck enamelled with a landscape of
mountains and water, a lone gentleman gazing out
from his secluded pavilion.
48.3cm (19in) high.
£8,000 - 12,000
HK$100,000 - 150,000 CNY79,000 - 120,000
清康熙 五彩劉海戲金蟾棒槌瓶
The delicate enamelling on the present lot depicts
central characters from Chinese mythology. Liuhai is
am Immortal who is regarded as the god of wealth,
and is often seen carrying a string of cash, or
accompanied by his three-legged toad. He is said to
have once been the Han dynasty prime minister Kiu
Yuanying, or Haichanzi, and he was enlightened in a
flash during a chance meeting with a Daoist adept.
The Hehe Erxian, known as the Laughing Twins,
typically carry a box and a lotus. They were also
considered to be historic figures: the poet monks
Hanshan and Shide of the Tang dynasty, who were
such mirthful beings that the Yongzheng Emperor
designated them as the Immortals of Unity and
Harmony in 1733.

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