Blue and white porcelain pot decorated with depictions of the Eight Immortals which is a group of legendary saints in Chinese mythology. Their power can bestow life or destroy evil and they were and still are very popular in China. The pot is marked on the bottom ‘Qianlong nian zhi’ which means ‘Made during the Qianlong period’ (1735 -1795) but it actually dates from the 19th century. The fact that the date of manufacture does not tally with the reign mark is a normal occurrence in China. It was a common practice to use old reign marks as a sign of admiration and not as means to deceive. Diameter pot 14 cm. Diameter at the rim 6.6 cm. Diameter of the foot ring 9.5 cm. Height 14 cm.