CATALOGUE NUMBERS 0190 & 0191

PAIR OF CELADON-GROUND BLUE AND COPPER-RED GU-SHAPED BEAKER VASES​

KANGXI PERIOD (1661-1722)

DIMENSIONS

Height: 17 ¾ inches

 

PROVENANCE

The Asian Gallery, London, 1999

 

CATALOGUE NOTES

A pair of tall, finely painted celadon ground vases of yen yen form, decorated in an underglaze blue and copper-red palette depicting the fabled Eight Horses of Mu Wang, variously depicted frolicking and resting among pine trees. The Eight Horses of Mu Wang were the legendary steeds of the fifth sovereign of the Western Zhou Dynasty and are a favorite subject of the Chinese painter. It is believed that King Mu driven by his charioteer Tsao Fu traveled through his empire accompanied by these beautiful steeds, each of which was given a name of distinction.