Early 20th Century Antique Chinese Vases - A Pair

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Mirror image pair of antique hand-painted Chinese vases.

These vases were not mass produced thus the high value of them. … Read more Mirror image pair of antique hand-painted Chinese vases.

These vases were not mass produced thus the high value of them. This type of vase is a great investment.

Either singly or in groups the Eight Immortals, Pa Hsien, of the Taoist religion are one of the most popular subjects of representation in China; their portraits are to be seen everywhere—on porcelain vases, teapots, teacups, fans, scrolls, embroidery, etc. Images of them are made in porcelain, earthenware, roots, wood, metals. The term ‘Eight Immortals’ is figuratively used for happiness. The number eight has become lucky in association with this tradition, and persons or things eight in number are graced accordingly. They are favourite subjects of romance, and special objects of adoration. They represent all kinds of people—old, young, male, female, civil, military, rich, poor, afflicted, cultured, noble. They are also representative of early, middle, and later historical periods.

The legend of the Eight Immortals is certainly not older than the time of the Sung dynasty (A.D. 960–1280), and is probably to be assigned to that of the Yüan dynasty (1280–1368). But some, if not all, of the group seem to have been previously celebrated as Immortals in the Taoist legends. See less