China, 1912-1949. The slender ovoid body rising to a waisted neck. Superbly painted in bright enamels with five immortals in a garden, each holding auspicious objects including a peach, finger citron, lingzhi, and gourd, one carrying a gnarled pine staff and another a bamboo stick, each wearing long flowing robes decorated with roundels and diapered designs, framed by a gnarled pine and wisteria tree to one side, and craggy rockwork to the other side, with a crane flying above.

Inscriptions: To the base in iron red, ‘Juren Tang zhi’ (The Hall where Benevolence Resides).

Provenance: French trade.
Condition: Good condition with minimal wear, a thin hairline to the mouth rim, and a barely visible star-crack below the shoulder.

Weight: 3,959 g
Dimensions: Height 24.9 cm

The Juren Tang (The Hall where Benevolence Resides) in Zhongnanhai was the building in which Yuan Shikai (1859-1916) lived and also where he had his office around 1915. Yuan Shikai was the first President of the Republic of China and Emperor of the short-lived Empire of China (1915-1916), taking the era name Hongxian. In 1916, Guo Baochang, an antique dealer with a good relation to the court, was appointed to oversee Hongxian’s new imperial porcelain production. The intent from the outset was that the items produced were to be of excellent quality. The biscuit used was very thin, the enamels were sent from the Imperial Workshops and the mark used was a red seal reading Juren Tang zhi. The quality of items produced was reputed to be excellent. Unfortunately, during production, because of the very thin biscuit, many objects were damaged. The remaining few perfect pieces were given to the most favored officials and are exceedingly rare today.

Yuan Shikai stood down as Emperor on 22 March 1916 and resumed his presidency, dying shortly afterward in June 1916. After his death, production was halted and the kilns were destroyed, but the enamels were stolen by workers who then proceeded to copy the Juren Tang production, marking their pieces Hongxian nianzhi (also Hongxian Yu Chih or Hongxian Yuan Nian), mostly with Kaishu script. The first copies produced were apparently of extremely high quality, as they were still using the imperial biscuit and enamels, but quality fell as the quantity increased and, presumably, the imperial resources were depleted. One opinion has it that all Hongxian marked pieces are made after the actual period, and that the only possibly genuine mark of the Hongxian period is the Juren Tang if any. Still, from extant pieces it is clear that the porcelain industry was much stimulated at this time and for decades to come, and that pieces of very high quality were made, some of which bear the Hongxian mark while others are marked Juren Tang.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s London, 13 May 2014, lot 402
Price: GBP 37,500 or approx. EUR 61,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A famille rose 'immortals' vase, Republic period, four-character iron-red Juren Tang zhi mark
Expert remark: Compare the form, fine enamels, figural motif, and mark. Note the size (28.2 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s London, 9 November 2012, lot 1137
Price: GBP 7,500 or approx. EUR 13,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A slender famille rose baluster vase, Republic period (1912-1949), Juren Tang zhi iron-red seal mark
Expert remark: Compare the related form, fine enamels, figural motif, and mark. Note the size (34.5 cm).

民國居仁堂款粉彩《五仙圖》賞瓶
中國，1912-1949年。瓶口略外撇，頸微束，豐肩，修長瓶身。粉彩描繪山中五仙圖，壽老持桃、祿星持佛手、靈芝、白鬍仙人手持掛著葫蘆的松杖；身著飄逸長袍，周圍可見松樹和紫藤，另一側是崎嶇的岩石，空中仙鶴飛舞。

款識：圈足内“居仁堂製”

來源：法國古玩交易。
品相：品相良好，極少磨損，口緣處有細冲線，肩部下方輕微星形裂紋。

重量：3,959 克
尺寸：高24.9 厘米

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：倫敦佳士得，2014年5月13日，lot 402
價格：GBP 37,500（相當於今日EUR 61,000）
描述：民國居仁堂款粉彩仙人圖瓶
專家評論：比較的外形、精美的琺瑯、人物主題和款識。請注意尺寸(28.2 厘米)。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：倫敦佳士得，2012年11月9日，lot 1137
價格：GBP 7,500 EUR 13,000（相當於今日）
描述：民國居仁堂款粉彩高士詩文圖瓶
專家評論：比較相近的外形、精美的琺瑯、人物主題和款識。請注意尺寸(34.5 厘米)。