QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795)

The finely enameled scene on the present vase is densely rendered and full of auspicious wishes. The pavilion scene on one side with a crane carrying a bamboo sprig references an abode of immortals rising from the sea and housing a magic vase. Whenever a crane would drop a bamboo counter into the vase, a man’s life expectancy would increase by 100 years. See T.T. Bartholomew, Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art, San Francisco, 2006, p. 221. The bats shown on the other side hovering over the water with a peach tree relays the message “May you be blessed by the mountain of longevity and sea of blessings” (ibid., p. 221). Together with the deer, the bamboo and the pine tree, the carefully chosen subjects woven through the scene relay a wish for long life.