Blue and white porcelain dish finely 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 saucer has four characters on the bottom 若深珍藏 (ruo shen zhen cang) which is a text that was first used on porcelain of the Kangxi period (1661 – 1722) and copied in the following dynasties. It dates from the 19th century and was acquired in the Netherlands. Diameter at the rim 14.4 cm. Diameter of the foot ring 9.2 cm. Height 2.6 cm.