An unusual famille-rose 'eight horses' vase, Qing dynasty, 19th century, of archaistic hu form, set on the sloping shoulders with a pair of iron-red square-section handles with key-fret in relief, the sides painted with the eight horses brightly enamelled in pink, yellow, purple, white and brown, prancing and grazing in a continous grassy meadow with clusters of flowering plants, rockwork and cliffs rising to scrolling clouds to one side and an overhanging willow and another tree below the ruyi -head and key-fret borders around the mouth, and a band of lappets at the base, wood stand, (2), 42 cm high. Provenance: Private Collection, Sydney, acquired in Hong Kong circa 1960. Private Collection, Sydney, by descent from the above