Footnotes

Treasury 6, no. 1214


模製瓷胎琺瑯彩八仙鼻煙壺
景德鎮，鐵紅嘉慶年款，1796～1820


Immortal Outing

Famille rose enamels on colourless glaze on porcelain; with a flat lip and recessed flat foot surrounded by a protruding convex footrim; moulded and painted with a continuous design of the Eight Immortals in a rocky waterside landscape, with three of them in a log raft (one reaching skywards towards a pavilion floating on formalized clouds), the other five standing on a grassy bank at the water's edge with a crane flying overhead, a tally held in its beak, towards the heavenly dwelling, framed between bands of formalized lingzhi around the base and shoulders; the neck with a band of continuous leiwen (thunder pattern); the foot inscribed in iron-red seal script, Jiaqing nian zhi (Made during the Jiaqing period); the lip painted gold; the interior unglazed
Imperial kilns, Jingdezhen, 1796–1820
Height: 7.32 cm
Mouth/lip: 0.72/1.72 cm
Stopper: iron-red and turquoise-blue enamel on colourless glaze on porcelain, moulded with a formalized chrysanthemum design; silver and turquoise-blue enamel finial, chased as a formalized flower head; original
Condition: minute, almost invisible chip to the corner of the upper roof on the pavilion in the clouds; otherwise, in kiln condition


Provenance:
Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd. (1987)

Published:
Kleiner, Yang, and Shangraw 1994, no. 161
Treasury 6, no. 1214

Exhibited:
Hong Kong Museum of Art, March–June 1994
National Museum of Singapore, November 1994–February 1995

Commentary:
Another of the rarer moulds from the Jiaqing period, and in excellent condition, the subject here is the Eight Immortals of Daoist folklore. Drawn from different historical and hagiographic sources, they are legendary figures who attained immortality by stepping off the stage of time. They became recognized as a coherent group in response to the popular Yuan-dynasty play Eight Immortals Celebrating a Birthday.
There are several alternative versions of their origins, and differences of opinion as to whether they were real or legendary figures, although at least three were considered to have been historical persons (Zhongli Quan, Zhang Guo, also known as Zhang Guolao and Lü Yan, or Lü Dongbin). As with many legendary groups of immortals in China, their precise origins are difficult to trace, but according to an ancient book (Xiuxiang baxian dongyouji, 'An Illustrated Account of the Eight Immortals' Mission to the East', the order in which they were elevated to immortal status by uniting with the Dao is as follows: Li Tieguai, the crippled beggar with a gourd and crutch (the uppermost of the group on the bank, beneath the flying crane); Zhongli Quan, looked upon as their chief, usually shown holding a leaf-shaped fan (pictured here at the centre of the five figures on land, holding the fan in his right hand and a peach in the other); Lan Caihe, usually shown holding a basket of fruit (here probably reaching towards the pavilion on clouds that represents the Daoist Paradise, his basket hanging on a branch at the rear of the boat); Zhang Guolao, usually shown on a mule, often facing its rear end, holding a yugu, a bamboo musical instrument, (here in the group on land, above the flute-player, and without his donkey); He Xiangu, the only female immortal, usually shown holding a lotus blossom or the peach of immortality (but in this case apparently steering the boat and without either attribute); Lü Dongbin, usually shown with his sword (known as the 'Devil-slaying sabre) and a fly-whisk (here seated in the centre of the log raft); Han Xiangzi, usually shown playing a flute and in this case at the front of the group on land; and Cao Guojiu, usually shown as a military man with a pair of castanets (shown here in front of Li Tieguai).
Identifying the Eight Immortals is a good deal easier than trying to identify all the luohan, even though they, too, are sometimes depicted with different attributes and can become confused in the decorative arts. The fact that Zhang Guolao's mule is missing is not, however, significant: it was a magic mule that could carry him immense distances and, when no longer needed, be folded up and kept in his wallet. For one version of their various histories and more details, see E. T. C. Werner, A Dictionary of Chinese Mythology, pp. 341–351, and for how the Eight became grouped in Yuan Drama, see Chinese Ivories from the Shang to the Qing, pp. 44 and 45.

The crane with a tally in its beak symbolizes longevity. The crane (he) holding a tally (suan) provides a visual representation of the term hesuan, constituting a subtle allusion to longevity. More specifically, if a house in the sky above the sea is included, the sea (hai) with a house (wu) and a crane holding a tally (chou, another character meaning tally) in its beak form a rebus for the expression 'Adding tallies to the immortal's abode above the sea' (haiwu tianchou), used to wish people many happy returns on their birthday (see Treasury 5, no. 921, for further details).

Together with rebuses, other more obvious references reinforce the longevity symbolism: rocks and pine trees, the association with immortality through the figures depicted and the Daoist paradise, the leiwen (thunder pattern) around the neck, and even the formalized lingzhi of the borders. The style of formalization of the lingzhi, however, also calls to mind the ruyi sceptre, a traditional birthday gift symbolising wish fulfilment and longevity. It seems likely that this bottle was designed to serve as a birthday present.

Another bottle from the same mould that was in Hanhai, Beijing, 12 January 2004, lot 2013, reveals an interesting feature of these moulded porcelain bottles. Although the design is identical, of course, the colouring of the details, particularly of the figures, is quite different. Apparently the colour scheme was left to the whim of the enameller, unless different colour groups represent different series. Other example from the same mould are in the Seattle Art Museum (Fuller 1970, , plates 42 and 43); the Mack Collection (Chinese Snuff Bottles, no. 3, p. 53, pl. X); Snuff Bottles of the Ch'ing Dynasty 1978, no. 94; Christie's, Hong Kong, 2 May 1995, lot 1356; Sotheby's, New York, 25 October 1997, lot 275; Sotheby's, New York, 23 March 1998, lot 93, and Sotheby's, New York, 22 March 2000, lot 205.

八仙野游

瓷胎無色釉上施琺瑯彩；平唇、平斂底、突出凸形圈足；模印通體八仙野游圖，三個仙人坐槎，其一舉手仰望祥雲上的樓房，五個仙人站在岸上，其上有一鶴銜籌而往祥雲上的樓房飛去，肩及下腹部飾如意雲頭紋，頸繪雷紋一道，底鐵紅書"嘉慶年製"四字二行篆款，唇塗鎏金，器內不施釉

景德鎮官窯，1796～1820
高：7.32 厘米
口經/唇經：0.72/1.72厘米
蓋：陶瓷無色釉上施鐵紅及松石藍色琺瑯彩，製印形式化菊花，銀與松石藍色琺瑯彩鈕，雕鏤形式化花朵； 原件
狀態敘述：空中樓房檐角有微乎其微的缺口，此外出窯狀態

來源：
Hugh M oss (HK), Ltd (1987)
文獻﹕
Kleiner, Yang, and Shangraw 1994，編號161
Treasury 6， 編號1214
展覽﹕
香港藝術館，1994年3 月～6月
National Museum of Singapore, 1994年11月～1995年1月

說明：
本壺是罕見的嘉慶脫胎八仙煙壺。八仙，在元明雜劇，呂仙度世題材演到第四折，省悟之後，必然作列仙出場現身指點，八仙各別或亦有關於自己度脫的一、二本。其名籍與故事跟據元代的說法傳到明人，由明人傳到清人，婦孺皆曉。

同一模子製作的一件鼻煙壺（翰海，北京，2004年1月12日拍賣品號2013）給我們很有意義的啟發。圖案跟本壺的沒有兩樣，但細節的顏色不一樣。這意味著色彩設計是由琺瑯匠定的，或者這兩件煙壺代表兩個系列的煙壺。同模子出的幾件還有﹕西雅圖美術館藏的（ Fuller 1970，插圖42、43）；Mack 珍藏藏的（ Chinese Snuff Bottles 3，頁53，插圖X）；Snuff Bottles of the Ch'ing Dynasty 1977， 插圖94； 佳士得，香港，1995年5月2 日，拍賣品號1356；蘇富比，紐約，1997年10月25日，拍賣品號275； 同，1998年3月23日，拍賣品號93；同2000年3 月22日，拍賣品號205。