A fine and very rare blue and white 'Su Jin' cup,Mark and period of Kangxi清康熙 青花蘇晉坐禪圖盃 《大清康熙年製》款finely potted with deep rounded sides resting on a countersunk base, painted with Su Jin, one of the eight 'drunken immortals', seated on a rush mat beside three large jars of wine, with an open sutra and a wine cup in front of him, his hands clasped in prayers to Budai sitting on a table in an alcove, the reverse inscribed with two verses from 'The Ballad of the Eight Drunken Immortals', followed by a square seal shang (appreciation), the base inscribed with a six-character mark within a double circled. 6.3 cm来源: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 21st May 1985, lot 110.Collection of Henry and Beatrice Goldschmidt.Sotheby's Hong Kong, 13th November 1990, lot 1.Collection of Mary Porter Walsh (1928-2012).Sotheby's New York, 28th November 1994, lot 334.Sotheby's Hong Kong, 12th June 1999, lot 442.香港蘇富比1985年5月21日，編號110 亨利．戈爾德施密特伉儷收藏 香港蘇富比1990年11月13日，編號1 Mary Porter Walsh（1928-2012年）收藏 紐約蘇富比1994年11月28日，編號334 香港蘇富比1999年6月12日，編號442文学: Julian Thompson, The Alan Chuang Collection of Chinese Porcelain, Hong Kong, 2009, pl. 30.朱湯生，《中國瓷器：莊紹綏收藏》，香港，2009年，圖版30拍卖专文: Featuring Su Jin (676-734), a Tang dynasty scholar-official and one of the eight 'immortals' in 'The Ballad of the Eight Drunken Immortals' (Yinzhong baxian ge), the present cup depicts a light-hearted juxtaposition of a devout Buddhist with a penchant for alcohol. Composed by the great poet Du Fu (712-770), the ballad perfectly encapsulates Su Jin's story and the two sides of his nature:Admiring the Buddha embroidered on a cloth,Su Jin has vowed to abstain,But he has lots of lapses whenever he gets drunk!This subject matter became particularly popular during the Kangxi reign, probably a reflection of the leisurely lifestyle enjoyed by the literati under the sagely rule and benevolent governance of the Kangxi Emperor. It also became a favourite subject matter in porcelain production, as seen on the present cup and lot 3806. Featuring great Tang dynasty scholars - He Zhizhang, Li Jin, Li Shizhi, Cui Zongzhi, Su Jin, Li Bai, Zhang Xu and Jiao Sui - the ballad describes the rambunctious overindulgence of each of the eight 'immortals', as they participate in revelry to escape from everyday concerns, transcend the material world and gain entrance to a realm of artistic inspiration. Cups of this design are incredibly rare, with very few examples known to exist; see a blue and white version from the collections of T. Bushell and T.Y. Chao, sold twice in these rooms, 22nd May 1979, lot 162 and 19th May 1987, lot 266, and a third time at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1st December 2009, lot 1895; and a doucai version, also from the collection of Mary Porter Walsh, sold four times in 1983, 1990, 2010, and most recently in these rooms, 3rd April 2018, lot 3612.題識： 蘇晉長齋繡佛前，醉中往往愛逃禪。 蘇晉（676-734年），唐代朝臣名士，亦是杜甫（712-770年）《飲中八仙歌》之一，此盃紋飾見蘇晉誠心向佛，身畔卻滿置佳釀，如同歌中描述：「蘇晉長齋繡佛前，醉中往往愛逃禪。」〈飲中八仙歌〉，千古流傳，尤其盛行於康熙朝，如此安逸題材，或反映當時賢明之治，也常作為瓷器紋樣題材，如本品與編號3806。歌中稱唐代學士賀知章、李璡、李適之、崔宗之、蘇晉、李白、張旭、焦遂，為「酒中八仙」，超離俗世禁錮，悠遊仙界藝境。存世類同作例甚稀，如一件青花盃，曾為 T. Bushell、趙從衍遞藏，二度售於香港蘇富比，1979年5月22日，編號162，及1987年5月19日，編號266，後於2009年12月1日售於香港佳士得，編號1895；Mary Porter Walsh 舊藏一件鬪彩飲中八仙圖盃，曾四度售出，1983、1990、2010年，最近一次為香港蘇富比2018年4月3日，編號3612。