This vase is not a common Guangxu marked ware; it has a very well potted body of fine and white clay. Its shape is elegant, with unusual details, e.g., the circular ridge around mid neck and a circular groove inside the mouth rim. The glaze is very uniform and unctuous. The underglaze cobalt blue, including the imperial mark, is brilliant pure blue unique to Guangxu period (1875 -1908 AD) and was used to paint the best imperial porcelain. The motif depicts celebration of the longevity of the Queen Mother of the West (Xi Wan Mu), a decorative theme popular during 19th century China. Xi Wan Mu is an ancient mythological deity and lives on a high mountain of the West. She came down to visit the kings and emperors when the world was at peace and prosperous. In this painting she sits on the back of a phoenix above of the mountains and clouds, while the Eight Immortals gather in a garden, each carrying his/her instrument, and raise their heads beaming at the Queen Mother. The garden is lavish with tall pines, strange rocks, and ground covering flowers. Even the crane that stands in the garden raises it head to worship the Queen mother. The Chinese antique market is full of imitations, especially of imperial porcelain of Qing Dynasty from Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong, through Guangxu. Serious collectors must be careful in comparing and evaluating every detail to avoid buying fakes. Traditional experts and collectors of Chinese porcelain emphasize the quality of body (clay) , which is often described as jade-like, the glaze that must be even and unctuous, and the decoration that reflects the taste of the literati, by artistically arranging of the painting elements, not just piling on colored enamels to form dazzling displays of color. From Dr. Robert I-San Lin (#459), a senior Chinese artwork appraiser, whose grandfather was a major Chinese antique merchant in early 1900s. (Dr. Lin’s bio, in Journal of Authentication of Artworks, 2015, available). Brought to California in 1960s.H. 22.3 cm; 438 grams.