Beschreibung:

Lot details China. Finely modeled as a large lingzhi with smaller fungi growing on its stem beside a neatly carved chicken standing on a rocky outcrop. The lingzhi is covered overall in a bright purple glaze, while the rockwork shows a glaze of variegated turquoise to pale-blue color, and the chicken is left mostly unglazed, yet detailed in dark-brown and yellow. The base is left unglazed as well, revealing the biscuit body. Provenance: From a French private collection. Condition: Excellent condition with minor wear and firing flaws, such as minute glaze recesses and small firing cracks. Weight: 452.5 g Dimensions: Height 15 cm Lingzhi fungus grows naturally at the base and stumps of deciduous trees, especially that of the maples found in southern China. Only two or three out of 10,000 such aged trees will have lingzhi growth, and therefore its wild form is rare. Since ancient times, Daoist temples were called ‘the abode of mushrooms’ and according to their mystical teachings, the use of the woody mushrooms zhi (Ganoderma) or lingzhi (‘spirit mushroom’), in particular making from it a concentrated decoction with hallucinogenic effects, gave followers the opportunity to see spirits or become spirits themselves by receiving the magical energy of the immortals. It was a talisman for luck in the traditional culture of China and believed to confer immortality on whoever consumed it. In Chinese art, the lingzhi symbolizes great health and longevity, as depicted in the imperial Forbidden City and Summer Palace. Literature comparison: Compare three lingzhi-form vases with different glazes from the Collection Ernest Grandidier and now in the Musée Guimet, inventory numbers G2868, G361, and G1946. Auction result comparison: Compare a related flambé-glazed lingzhi-form spill vase, dated late 18th to early 19th century, at Christie’s London in A Surreal Legacy: Selected works of art from The Edward James Foundation on 15 December 2016, lot 130, sold for GBP 9,375. Compare a related Ru-type glazed lingzhi-form vase, with a Qianlong mark and of the period, at Christie’s Hong Kong in Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on 30 May 2012, lot 4151, sold for HKD 920,000. 十八世紀紫色及綠松石色釉靈芝香插 中國。以靈芝樹乾為整體造型，中空用於插香，側面有幾顆小靈芝，底部為岩石將靈芝托起。靈芝整體覆蓋著亮紫色釉，而岩石則呈現出斑駁的綠松石至淡藍色釉，而岩石上的小雞則露胎，有深棕色和黃色描繪細節。 底座未上釉，露胎。 來源：法國私人收藏。 品相：狀況極佳，有輕微磨損和燒製瑕疵，例如微小的釉面凹陷和小燒製裂紋。 重量：452.5 克 尺寸：高15 厘米 拍賣結果：比較一件相近的十八世紀末至十九世紀初窯變釉靈芝花插，見倫敦佳士得 A Surreal Legacy: Selected works of art from The Edward James Foundation 2016年12月15日 lot 130, 售價GBP 9,375。比較一件相近的乾隆款和年代的天青釉靈芝瓶，見香港佳士得Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art 2012年5月30日 lot 4151, 售價HKD 920,000。