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Lot Essay
The current vase belongs to a small group of Qianlong-marked doucai vessels which are distinguished by their soft palette, delicate enamelling, and gilt-decorated details. The present vase is unique not only for its form, but also its rare depiction of the Eight Daoist Emblems, which have been meticulously painted with multi-coloured enamels.
The choice of decorative motifs on the current vase are rarely found on Qianlong doucai porcelains. The Eight Daoist Emblems are the attributes of the Eight Daoist Immortals. The fan belongs to Han Zhongli, the gourd (which contains magic potions) and iron crutch belongs to Li Tieguai, the bamboo drum and metal drum sticks belong to Zhang Guolao, a lotus or bamboo sieve belong to He Xiangu - the only female member of the group, who is regarded as the patron saint of housewives, a basket of flowers or peaches belong to Lan Caihe, the sword and fly whisk belong to Lu Dongbin, the pair of castanets belong to Cao Guojiu, and the flute belongs to Han Xiangzi. While these attributes were seen accompanying the Eight Immortals from the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368), it was only in the Qing dynasty that the attributes alone became a popular motif, imbued with the same auspicious wishes as the immortals to whom they belonged. It seems that the 'Daoist Emblems' first appearance alone on porcelains was in the Yongzheng reign. While the Qianlong Emperor, like his father and grandfather, was a devout Buddhist, the inclusion of Daoist symbols on an imperial vase would have been entirely appropriate in view of their auspicious message.
Two Qianlong doucai vases decorated with the anbaxian motif have been sold in recent years, a tianqiuping from the Philbrook Museum of Art, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 May 2018, lot 8888, and an octagonal vase from the Duchange family collection, sold at Poly Hong Kong, 21 April 2021, lot 3308. Unlike the Au Bak Ling example, neither was gilt.
Compared to the Eight Daoist Emblems, the Eight Buddhist Emblems is a more common motif on doucai vessels during this Qianlong period. See for example, a small gilt-decorated doucai jar with handles in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 283, no. 258, which is decorated with the Eight Buddhist Emblems around the lower body; and a larger vase with chilong-form handles also decorated with the Eight Buddhist Emblems, but arranged alternately over two rows, in the Seikado Bumko Museum, illustrated in Seikadō zō Shinchō tōji : Keitokuchin kan’yō no bi, Tokyo, 2006, p. 70, no. 60.
The choice of decorative motifs on the current vase are rarely found on Qianlong doucai porcelains. The Eight Daoist Emblems are the attributes of the Eight Daoist Immortals. The fan belongs to Han Zhongli, the gourd (which contains magic potions) and iron crutch belongs to Li Tieguai, the bamboo drum and metal drum sticks belong to Zhang Guolao, a lotus or bamboo sieve belong to He Xiangu - the only female member of the group, who is regarded as the patron saint of housewives, a basket of flowers or peaches belong to Lan Caihe, the sword and fly whisk belong to Lu Dongbin, the pair of castanets belong to Cao Guojiu, and the flute belongs to Han Xiangzi. While these attributes were seen accompanying the Eight Immortals from the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368), it was only in the Qing dynasty that the attributes alone became a popular motif, imbued with the same auspicious wishes as the immortals to whom they belonged. It seems that the 'Daoist Emblems' first appearance alone on porcelains was in the Yongzheng reign. While the Qianlong Emperor, like his father and grandfather, was a devout Buddhist, the inclusion of Daoist symbols on an imperial vase would have been entirely appropriate in view of their auspicious message.
Two Qianlong doucai vases decorated with the anbaxian motif have been sold in recent years, a tianqiuping from the Philbrook Museum of Art, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 May 2018, lot 8888, and an octagonal vase from the Duchange family collection, sold at Poly Hong Kong, 21 April 2021, lot 3308. Unlike the Au Bak Ling example, neither was gilt.
Compared to the Eight Daoist Emblems, the Eight Buddhist Emblems is a more common motif on doucai vessels during this Qianlong period. See for example, a small gilt-decorated doucai jar with handles in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 283, no. 258, which is decorated with the Eight Buddhist Emblems around the lower body; and a larger vase with chilong-form handles also decorated with the Eight Buddhist Emblems, but arranged alternately over two rows, in the Seikado Bumko Museum, illustrated in Seikadō zō Shinchō tōji : Keitokuchin kan’yō no bi, Tokyo, 2006, p. 70, no. 60.