Glazed porcelain bowl ‘The Eight Immortals’, with Daoguang stamp

Modelled porcelain, with a short circular foot on which rests a deep body with a curved profile, widening towards the mouth. It is decorated with underglaze blue and overglaze red enamels, set on a pure white background. Inside is a central medallion framed by a double blue circle, depicting a wise old man accompanied by a beautiful deer against a background of crashing waves. The exterior shows a continuous scene with the same background of red waves, on which stand the Eight Immortals, richly robed and bearing their distinctive attributes, or An Baxian, some of them. At the base is a six-character seal ‘大清道光年制’ in underglaze blue. 

The Eight Immortals are deities from Chinese mythology who are believed to have existed in earthly form, and dedicated their lives to the pursuit of immortality, which they attained through the Tao. 

Height: 8 cm; Diameter: 22.2 cm