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Lot Essay
The four-character inscription on this vase reads qun xian zhu shou, which may be translated as: 'wishes for long life from a group of immortals'. This is a reference to the decoration on the vase, since the eight cranes symbolize the Eight Daoist Immortals, while the peaches are symbolic of long life.
The painting on this vase is skillfully done, and it is now generally acknowledged that some extremely accomplished enamel painting was being applied to porcelains in the Republican period. According to the Jingdezhen Taoci Shigao, in 1928 (when statistics began to be collected by the Republican Government) there were some 1452 workshops undertaking overglaze enamel decoration, and these worked in a wide range of styles and qualities. The names of a number of the skilled artists working on the decoration of porcelain in the late Qing and early Republican periods are recorded. Among those from the Republican period, for example, were a group of artists known as the Zhushan Bayou, 'Eight Friends of Pearl Hill'. Two of these, Cheng Yiting from Leping and Liu Yucen from Boyang, specialized in painting birds and flowers.
The painting on this vase is skillfully done, and it is now generally acknowledged that some extremely accomplished enamel painting was being applied to porcelains in the Republican period. According to the Jingdezhen Taoci Shigao, in 1928 (when statistics began to be collected by the Republican Government) there were some 1452 workshops undertaking overglaze enamel decoration, and these worked in a wide range of styles and qualities. The names of a number of the skilled artists working on the decoration of porcelain in the late Qing and early Republican periods are recorded. Among those from the Republican period, for example, were a group of artists known as the Zhushan Bayou, 'Eight Friends of Pearl Hill'. Two of these, Cheng Yiting from Leping and Liu Yucen from Boyang, specialized in painting birds and flowers.