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Pilgrim Vase Decorated with Immortals - Image 1
Pilgrim Vase Decorated with Immortals - Image 2

Jingdezhen kilns

Pilgrim Vase Decorated with Immortals

1866-1910

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Scroll

Jingdezhen kilns

Pilgrim Vase Decorated with Immortals

1866-1910

Physical Qualities Porcelain with overglaze enamel decoration, 12 7/16 x 8 7/8 x 15/16 in. (31.6 x 22.5 x 2.4 cm.)
Credit Line The George A. Lucas Collection, purchased with funds from the State of Maryland, Laurence and Stella Bendann Fund, and contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporations throughout the Baltimore community
Object Number 1996.47.31
A red bat, a symbol of happiness, flies above an Immortal who holds a red lingzhi. He is accompanied by a deer drawn to the scent of the fungus which conveys immortality, an attendant carrying his staff, and a crane. The lifespan of all living creatures is written on the scroll suspended from the staff, a device associated with Shou Lao, the God of Longevity. This Immortal, however, lacks Shou Lao’s characteristic high forehead and aged appearance. Compare this figure to the more conventional Shou Lao on the large vase on the bottom shelf at the right. The immortal holds a red lingzhi, the fungus believed to convey immortality. He is accompanied by a deer drawn to the scent of the fungus, an immortal attendant, and a crane. A red bat flies above the group.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by purchase, 1996 (on loan 1966-1996); Maryland Institute College of Art, by 1911; Henry Walters, by bequest, 1909; George A. Lucas, Paris
"Exhibition of Paintings, Bronzes and Porcelains from the George A. Lucas Art Collection," The Maryland Institute, Baltimore, 1911.
Frances Klapthor, "BMA Past/Future: Guyton/Chiu; Two Collections of Chinese Art," BMA, August 18, 2010-
"Exhibition of Paintings, Bronzes and Porcelains from the George A. Lucas Art Collection," The Maryland Institute, Baltimore, 1911, no. 680, p. 108.

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