AN EXCEPTIONAL BLUE AND WHITE CENSER KANGXI PERIOD (1662-17...

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Hammer

£45,000

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AN EXCEPTIONAL BLUE AND WHITE CENSER
KANGXI PERIOD (1662-1722)
康熙青花神仙人物故事紋香爐
this heavily potted censer of cylindrical form is raised on three low bracket feet and decorated in detail with vibrant tones of under glaze blue. The finely painted and continuous narrative decoration on the outside of the censer depicts a gathering of immortals. In the centre of the base there is a recessed circle, which is glazed, and surrounded by a further glazed area. In the recess there is the six character mark of Chengua.

Although the scene is problematic in its identification, a number of the figures are more easily recognised:

Magu - Seen here carrying a pole with a basket of life-granting peaches. Her hair is worn in a chignon and her fingernails are shown unusually long - even talon-like and are referred to in classic Chinese poetry by the Tang poet Li Bo. A drink of her famous elixir was said to bestow perpetual youth and longevity on its recipients.

He Xiangu - One of the Eight Immortals and seen here holding a fly whisk made of an animal’s tail along with a basket of fruit. She is the only true female in the group and was made immortal at the age of fourteen. Her great beauty often associates her with the Daoist goddess Magu.

He He Twins - also referred to as the Two Gods of Harmony and Union - were Taoist immortals - one of which is seen here wearing a variegated coat. They are popular and associated with happy marriages. Legend has it that the two figures were inspired by the famous Tang dynasty hermit monks, the poet Han Shan and his companion Shi De. Both were associated with the school of Buddhism known as Chan.

Xiao Shi & Nong Yu - The former was an impoverished but highly skilled flautist whilst Nong Yu was the daughter of King Ma of Qin during the Warring Period. When playing the flute Xiao Shin was able to attract phoenixes by imitating the sound of their calls. Nong Yu fell in love with him and eventually they married. He also taught her the way to play how a phoenix calls out. After several decades male and female phoenixes would come down in response to their sounds. At a later stage King Ma built a Phoenix Terrace, where the couple would spend their time. Legend has it that several years later Nong Yu mounted a purple phoenix and Xiao Shi a red dragon and the two ascended into the heavens.

As the censer also includes the presence of a dragon and phoenix amongst swirling clouds it has been suggested that the scene could be the coming together of deities at the Phoenix Pavilion prior to the departure of Xiao Shi and Nong Yu into the heavens.
19cm high

PROVENANCE: Acquired from Cheffins Auctions, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 26 April 2005.

RELATED EXAMPLE: For a very similar scene on a bitong see “Commissioned Landscapes: Blue & White and Enamelled Porcelains of the Seventeenth Century”, No. 87