A fine puce-enamelled blue and white 'Eight Immortals' bowl

Daoguang seal mark and of the period

Footnotes

清道光 青花胭脂紅八仙過海紋盌 青花「大清道光年製」篆書款

The Eight Immortals is a group of legendary Daoist deities, which includes Lu Dongbin, He Xiangu, Lan Caihe, Zhang Guolao, Han Xiangzi, Zhong Liquan, Li Tieguai and Cao Guojiu.

The scene depicted on the present lot is that of 'The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea'. Legend has it that the Eight Immortals were en route to attend the Gathering of the Peaches of Immortality when they encountered an ocean, necessitating each of the Immortals to exercise their individual ability to traverse the vast body of water. The Chinese proverb of Ba Xian guohai, gexian shentong is derived from this legend, representing the moral teaching that for a plan to succeed, each individual is required to do his part.

A similar puce-enamelled and blue and white 'Eight Immortals' bowl, Daoguang seal mark and period, was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 5 April 2017, lot 3706.

敞口，弧腹，圈足。外壁胭脂紅飾海水紋，青花繪八仙。盌內底繪壽星。胭脂紅為釉上彩，雍正一朝創燒成功，唐英於《陶成紀事碑》中稱其為「新製西洋紫色」，而青花胭脂紅彩瓷於乾隆以後開始流行。八仙故事唐、宋以來多有記載，故後來有「八仙過海，各顯神通」的說法。有詩記載：「萬歲蟠桃海上栽，得道鹿骨換仙胎。蓬萊閬苑三千遠，時有群仙獻壽來。鐘離點石把扇搖，果老騎驢走趙橋。洞賓背劍清風客，國舅瑤池品玉簫。采和手執雲楊板，拐李先生得道高。仙姑敬奉長生酒，湘子花籃獻蟠桃。」

參看香港蘇富比售出一例，2017年4月5日，拍品3706。