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Lot Essay
The female immortal shown on this rare pair of dishes has just returned from a sojourn in the hills in search of lingzhi, the fungus of immortality. The durability of this particular fungus when dried probably led to its associations with longevity and immortality.
Here, the immortal is shown in the company of a crane and a deer, both common companions of the Daoist immortals. Both the crane and the deer are believed to live to a very great age, hence their association with longevity. The latter is also said to be the only animal capable of finding the sacred fungus of immortality.
The manner in which the figural scene occupies almost the entire interior of these dishes is quite unusual, but can also be seen on another Kangxi-marked famille verte dish decorated with a courtly lady seated at a table, from the Eugene O. Perkins Collection, and formerly in the Riesco Collection, sold in these rooms, 2 June 1989, lot 32.
Here, the immortal is shown in the company of a crane and a deer, both common companions of the Daoist immortals. Both the crane and the deer are believed to live to a very great age, hence their association with longevity. The latter is also said to be the only animal capable of finding the sacred fungus of immortality.
The manner in which the figural scene occupies almost the entire interior of these dishes is quite unusual, but can also be seen on another Kangxi-marked famille verte dish decorated with a courtly lady seated at a table, from the Eugene O. Perkins Collection, and formerly in the Riesco Collection, sold in these rooms, 2 June 1989, lot 32.