AN EXTREMELY RARE COPPER-RED AND UNDERGLAZED BLUE 'IMMORTALS...

AN EXTREMELY RARE COPPER-RED AND UNDERGLAZED BLUE 'IMMORTALS' BOWL KANGXI SIX CHARACTER MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE AND OF THE PERIOD 釉里红八仙碗 清康熙 大清康熙年制款 the interior painted in underglaze blue with Shoulao standing beside a spotted deer against a background of underglaze copper-red waves and underglaze-blue clouds, the sides decorated with the Eight Daoist Immortals in underglaze blue reserved on a ground of similar copper-red waves 18.6cm diam PROVENANCE: From a Private English Collection. NOTE: The exterior is decorated with the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, a subject associated with birthday celebrations for the Queen Mother of the West (西王母). Among the most widely recognised figures in Daoist tradition, the Eight Immortals are revered for their supernatural powers and are auspicious symbols of longevity, good fortune and the triumph of virtue. Their depiction crossing the sea draws upon the celebrated legend in which each immortal uses their individual powers to traverse the waves, making the subject particularly appropriate for birthday celebrations and wishes for longevity. The figures are rendered in underglaze blue and red against a ground of swirling waves, while the interior is similarly decorated with a meandering pattern in underglaze red, the rim encircled by blue string bands. The combination of underglaze blue and copper red was first developed in the Yuan dynasty, but proved technically challenging owing to the differing firing requirements of the two pigments. The technique was further refined during the Xuande period, although securely attributable examples remain rare. The present bowl is distinguished by its clearly defined blue and red decoration, with minimal bleeding between the colours and a precise distinction between the principal figures and the surrounding ground. The confident brushwork, expressive faces and fluidly rendered robes demonstrate the skill of the painter and the technical accomplishment of the Kangxi period. Stylistically this bowl can be dated to circa 1720 as the mark is so closely written to the hand of the Yongzheng calligraphers & would have in fact been written by someone who continued to write the Yongzheng marks. A similar example, a Kangxi-period bowl decorated with the Eight Immortals crossing the sea in underglaze blue and red, is in the collection of the Tsinghua University Art Museum.

Estimate:£10,000

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