A famille rose and gilt porcelain footed 'Immortal' bowl. China, Qing dynasty (大清), beginning of the 20th century, late Guangxu (1875-1908, 光緒) to early Republic (1912-49, 中華民國) period. Preserved in excellent condition. Finely potted in oval shape with wavy rim, supported on a short foot expanding downwards. Painted to the interior with one of the Eight Immortals, Lan Caihe (藍采和), standing on the clouds and scattering flowers from a basket held above head. Chinese calligraphy above. Exterior with four peaches. Gilt lines at the top-rim and on edges of the the foot. Inscribed to the base with iron red four-character seal mark: 'Painted by Gong Xingchang' (Davison, no. 2502). An old dealer's label on the base, in French: 'M.R.N. / 0405 / CO-104 / COUPE OVAL / SEMI ANTIQUE / 260'. Consider that when the label was made, early 20th century Chinese porcelain was considered as 'semi antique', what changed in last 20 years... Dimensions: height - 5,3 cm; length - 25,7 cm; width - 20,1 cm. Weight - 610 g. Provenance: Belgian private collection, Brussels area. UV- and daylight pictures included. Lan Caihe is the only one of the Eight Immortals whose gender is ambiguous, different artists portray this immortal as an intersex person, a man, a woman, a man who looks like a woman. Lan is not generally thought to be based on a historical person, but is traditionally said to have been born sometime during the Tang dynasty (618 to 907 CE) and lived as a homeless street entertainer, who wandered all over China, singing philosophical songs. Stories vary about how Lan attained immortality and became one of the Eight Immortals. Lan's emblem is a basket of flowers, and so this immortal is considered the patron of florists and gardeners. Conditions report: bowl in excellent condition, no damages. Painted decoration very well preserved. Wear to gilding on the top-rim. Minor firing faults. Check pictures for details. Worldwide delivery with online tracking. Delivery in EU by courier only!