A BLUE AND WHITE 'CRANES AND TRIGRAMS' BOWL Jiaqing seal mark and of the periodA BLUE AND WHITE 'CRANES AND TRIGRAMS' BOWLJiaqing seal mark and of the periodWell potted, rising from a short foot, finely painted on the exterior with a continuous scene of flying cranes and clouds dividing eight trigrams, all above rocks and waves, the interior with a diaper-pattern band around the mouth, the base with a seal mark in underglaze-blue. 14cm (5 1/2in) diam. 清嘉慶 青花雲鶴八卦紋碗「大清嘉慶年製」篆書款Finely decorated with the Eight Trigrams and cranes sequences, the present lot highlights the auspicious symbolism associated with Daoist beliefs. As birds spanning a long life, cranes were regarded as vehicles for the immortals in China, while the 'Eight Trigrams' related to Daoism and the practice of Inner Alchemy to attain Immortality. The symbols represent the principles of yin and yang manifested in the form of open and solid lines. In this context, the yin referred to the female and all that is passive, negative, dark and feminine, whilst the yang referred to the male and all that is active, positive, light and masculine. The Eight Trigrams are positioned according to the Later Heaven arrangement, which can be found since the Song dynasty on ceramics; this arrangement signifies the bringing forth of information regarding the shifting of the yin and yang, revealing the 'Laws of Change' in the universe and within the human world.A similar blue and white 'crane and trigram' bowl, Jiaqing seal mark and of the period, was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 4 October 2016, lot 140. Compare also with a related pair of blue and white 'cranes and trigrams' bowls, Qianlong seal marks and of the period, which were sold at Sotheby's New York, 13 September 2016, lot 270.is_parse: 20230413image: yuzhan_bonhams_item.jpgsold_price_type: £