The Chinese Qing Dynasty famille rose figural porcelain double gourd vase. Is finely potted unto double gourd shape bottle vase, two conjugated globular body, heavier to the lower, gently rounded to narrow opening. The exterior decorated with several officers and attendant figures riding a donkey. The Lines of the drawings are clear; the light and dark shades are subtle. With frequent, widespread famines in China the donkey was at times eaten as well as used as a beast of burden. Donkeys were a common sight in northern and central China busy plowing the fields or carrying heavy goods. Unlike its close relative the horse it is not in the Chinese astrological zodiac or ancient texts; this suggests it came quite late to China, probably in the Han dynasty. It is associated with poor people and ascetic hermits and so it represents steadfastness and determination. One of the eight Daoist Immortals Zhang Guo Lao is often depicted riding a magic donkey which was made of paper so he could fold it up and store it in his bag. The immaculate porcelain body covered with a characteristic silky glaze, pooling on the base slightly veiling the mark. The double gourd also represented a door through which certain people with miraculous powers could enter a parallel paradise. The glaze terminates above the foot, revealed smooth pale-creme unglazed ground foot rim and dark-grayish firing marks, with the slightly receded central base remain white under glaze. Measurements: Height: 14 1/2" Diameter: 7 1/2"