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During the Ming and Qing dynasties small pairs of fu lions were very popular for use in private homes and outside as protective figures or in gardens. In the Buddhist tradition, they were portrayed as more friendly than fierce with their open mouths displaying sharp teeth but in a fanciful pose. They are a reminder that…
Heddle pulleys were used in strip-weaving, a small-loom process producing long cloth strips sewn together creating a larger textile such as blankets and ritual cloths. A source of pride for the carver, heddles were decorated with carved figures or animals symbolizing auspicious beings scholars believe protect the weavers and assure their weavings were of good…
Burmese carvings are known for fine craftsmanship, masterful decoration, and functional items including carved heddle pulleys used in strip-weaving. In pairs at the top of the loom, heddles are functional and aesthetic and usually were decorated with auspicious images symbolizing figures or animals protecting the weaver and assured good quality weaving that pleased the gods…
In China and Japan cats are often portrayed as small-teapots that provide individualized tea servings and better retain heat. White porcelain with a clear glaze was often the preferred pottery form for teaware as it was viewed as more elegant. Since Mao (猫), the word for cat, is a homophone for octogenarian, it is a…
This gorgeous porcelain ewer is covered in a saffron glaze, also called red coral glazed porcelain, created by potters in the Qing dynasty as a variety of new glazes at that time including a new coral red variety known as shan hu hong. This low-fired iron red glaze had a yellow tinge resembling the color…
Known as Budai in China and Hotei in Japan, Budai is one of the most famous Mahayana deities, called Mi Lo Fo, the Loving or Friendly One. Known as the Laughing, Happy, or Fat Buddha in the West, he is a symbol of contentment, happiness, good luck, and plentitude. With a loving character and benevolent…
Blue and White porcelain was first made in China during the Yuan dynasty and its production increased during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Before that, ceramics fired at lower temperatures were every day functional-and-utilitarian pieces using inexpensive clays and colors made in quantities for the poor. Because porcelain was superior to other ceramics, a huge…
The Queen Mother of the West is one of the most significant of the female Taoist-deities and as a syncretic deity, has a huge Popular Religion and Buddhist cult following. She is one of the Great Chinese Goddesses and patron deity of women who controls life and death, creation and destruction and determines the life…
Among the oldest Chinese female Taoist-deities, the Queen-Mother of the West Hsi Wang Mu is mentioned in 300 BCE in sacred texts as a goddess who “obtained the Tao.” A patron deity of women and a divine teacher associated with the cultivation of virtue and immortality, she controls the life, death, creation and destruction of…
The Keith Stevens’ article “An Unusual and Extraordinary Ancestral Image” describes a similar figure of a huntsman with a weapon, a flintlock gun, which he stated was the only ancestral image in his vast collection which “depicts the calling of the deceased.” (Stevens, Journal of Hong Kong) His piece was from Hunan, South Central China,…
This exceptional carving is form of Nanhai Guanyin which means Guanyin of the Southern Seas, one her most portrayed of her 33 manifestations during the Ming and early Qing dynasties. Her pedestal with hanging foliage and base in the form of stones indicates she is seated on her rocky outcrop on Putuo island in the…
Although the Chinese had been making a red glaze since the Song Dynasty, Qing dynasty potters developed several new and interesting glazes including a low-fired red coral glaze (shan hu hong) with a slight yellow tinge resembling red coral. It first appeared during the Kangxi Reign (1654-1722) and was used for dishes, bowls and vases as…
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