Details
A FAMILLE ROSE OVOID VASE
REPUBLIC PERIOD
The vase is decorated with Zhong Kui, the demon queller, and his attendant accompanying his sister as she prepares for her wedding. The base bears an apocryphal Qianlong mark.
9 ¼ in. (23.5 cm.) high

Provenance
The Rende Zhai (House of Benevolent Learning) Collection, 1949-1970s, in the United States before 1990.
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Lot Essay

Zhong Kui was one of the most popular mythological subjects in China. According to legend, Zhong Kui traveled with Du Ping, a friend from his hometown, to take part in the Imperial examinations at the capital. Though Zhong achieved top honors in the exams, his title was stripped by the Emperor because of his disfigured appearance. In anger, Zhong Kui committed suicide upon the palace steps by hurling himself against the palace gate until his head was broken. Du Ping then buried him. After Zhong became king of ghosts in Hell, he repaid Du's kindness by giving him his younger sister's hand in marriage.

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