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Lot Essay
The present jar is a rare and finely preserved example of Ming dynasty fahua ware, a distinctive ceramic tradition characterised by the use of raised slip decoration forming cloisonné like compartments filled with brightly coloured low temperature glazes. Originating in the Yuan dynasty and flourishing during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the technique was first associated with northern architectural ceramics before being successfully adapted at Jingdezhen on porcelain bodies of greater refinement and density. The vivid palette of cobalt blue, turquoise green, aubergine, yellow and white enamels, combined with the pronounced relief decoration, exemplifies the richly sculptural aesthetic of mid Ming fahua wares.
The principal decoration depicts the Eight Daoist Immortals crossing the sea, one of the most celebrated Daoist themes of the Ming period and especially popular during the Jiajing reign, when Daoism enjoyed strong imperial patronage. The animated figures, each identified by their attributes, are rendered amidst swirling waves and clouds in a lively narrative composition characteristic of late fifteenth and sixteenth century fahua decoration.
Comparable examples include a related fahua jar and cover decorated with the Eight Immortals from the E. T. Chow Collection, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1 December 2010, lot 3118. A related fahua jar decorated with scholars is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (acc. no. 17.120.149), while another closely related example formerly in the George Eumorfopoulos Collection is illustrated in R. L. Hobson and A. L. Hetherington, The Art of the Chinese Potter, revised edition, New York, 1982, pl. 111. See also a fahua meiping in the British Museum illustrated in Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, pl. 13:9. A further important comparison is the fahua ‘Eight Immortals’ jar excavated in Beijing in 1972 and now in the Capital Museum, whose form, palette and decorative arrangement closely relate to the present example. Compare also a closely related fahua jar depicting the Eight Immortals, sold at Christie’s London, 7 November 2006, lot 183; later included in Rooms as Portraits: Michael S. Smith, Eaton Square, London, Christie’s London, 12 September 2018, lot 32; and most recently sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 April 2026, lot 1128.
The principal decoration depicts the Eight Daoist Immortals crossing the sea, one of the most celebrated Daoist themes of the Ming period and especially popular during the Jiajing reign, when Daoism enjoyed strong imperial patronage. The animated figures, each identified by their attributes, are rendered amidst swirling waves and clouds in a lively narrative composition characteristic of late fifteenth and sixteenth century fahua decoration.
Comparable examples include a related fahua jar and cover decorated with the Eight Immortals from the E. T. Chow Collection, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1 December 2010, lot 3118. A related fahua jar decorated with scholars is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (acc. no. 17.120.149), while another closely related example formerly in the George Eumorfopoulos Collection is illustrated in R. L. Hobson and A. L. Hetherington, The Art of the Chinese Potter, revised edition, New York, 1982, pl. 111. See also a fahua meiping in the British Museum illustrated in Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, pl. 13:9. A further important comparison is the fahua ‘Eight Immortals’ jar excavated in Beijing in 1972 and now in the Capital Museum, whose form, palette and decorative arrangement closely relate to the present example. Compare also a closely related fahua jar depicting the Eight Immortals, sold at Christie’s London, 7 November 2006, lot 183; later included in Rooms as Portraits: Michael S. Smith, Eaton Square, London, Christie’s London, 12 September 2018, lot 32; and most recently sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 April 2026, lot 1128.