A RARE BLUE AND WHITE 'EIGHT IMMORTALS' DOUBLE GOURD WEIGHT Late Ming Dynasty Heavily potted of double-gourd shape with a tubular neck pierced with an aperture, and a flat top, the lower bulb painted with the five Immortals Lü Dongbin, Zhang Guolao, Cao Guojiu, Lan Caihe, Zhongli Quan, the upper section with Han Xingzi, He Xiangu and Li Tiguai, each holding their various attributes. 11cm (4 3/8in) high. Footnotes: Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價 明晚期 青花八仙人物圖葫蘆形紙鎮 Provenance: acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, in 2005 (collector's notes) Published and Illustrated: M.White, Living at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection, vol.4, n.p, 2023, p.185 來源：獲得于倫敦古董商R & G McPherson Antiques，2005年（藏家筆記） 著錄：M.White，《Living at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection》，第4冊，無出版地，2023年，第185頁 The presence of a pierced aperture at the top of the neck suggests that the object was intended to be suspended. Given its substantial weight and closed form, it was most likely used as a hanging counterweight; perhaps for a curtain, screen, or hanging textile or painting, combining practical function with the auspicious symbolism of the double gourd, long associated with longevity and Daoist ideals in the late Ming period. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing