Antique Stoneware Wall Pocket Chopsticks Holder, China, Shiwan China (16966A-PAL) $115
$115.00
H: 7.375″ W: 5.125″ D: 2.5″ | FREE SHIPPING WITHIN CONTINENTAL U.S.!
Decorative utilitarian Shiwan ware pieces are recognized for their fine modeling, vivid expression, and colorful apple-green and drip glazes. Chopsticks were commonly stored in wall pockets with a hole for mounting. Covered with auspicious symbols, they were often part of a bride’s dowry as “chopsticks” is a pun for “speedy arrival of sons.” It can hold utensils, dried flowers, and other objects and is a unique wedding gift.
Description
Chopsticks holders were symbols for fertility and traditionally part of a dowry in the form of wall-pockets as the word for chopsticks (kuizi) is a Chinese pun for ‘speedy arrival of sons’. The front has the phrase baizi qiansun (“a hundred sons and a thousand grandsons), an upside-down bat (fu) holding a coin surrounded by a ribbon and the combination of coins and ribbons are a rebus for “blessings in front of your eyes”. The combination of symbols with bats represents the Five Blessings or Happinesses that reflects the Chinese belief that having objects with auspicious symbols fills your home with fu and optimistic energy (chi) and strengthens feng sui. The pair of birds on the bottom symbolizes conjugal fidelity. The meander border pattern with clouds and thunder symbolizes life-giving rain and abundance. Decorative every day Shiwan ware pieces are recognized for their fine craftsmanship, vivid expression, and colorful apple-green and drip glazes. Shiwan potters mixed waste materials with local and inexpensive clay – one of the earliest artistic forms of recycling. Although overshadowed by imperial porcelain, in past decades appreciation for these wares has grown A similar piece is in the exhibition Shiwan Ceramics at the Chinese Cultural Foundation of San Francisco catalogue. Shiwan chopsticks holders are unique kitchen accessories, especially as wedding gifts.
Click here for the Blog The Allure of Shiwan Pottery
Sources
Frederikke S. Scollard and Terese Tse Bartholomew, Shiwan Ceramics: Beauty, Color and Passion, Catalogue of the Exhibition by the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco, 1994.
Terese Tse Bartholomew, Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art, San Francisco, Asian Art Museum, 2006.
Additional information
Weight | 7 lbs |
---|---|
Dimensions | 12 × 9 × 6 in |
Place of Origin | China |
Period | Antique, Qing Dynasty |
Date | Late 19th/Early 20th Century |
Materials and Technique | Stoneware |
Dimensions (inches) | Ht: 7.375" W: 5.125" D: 2.5" |
Dimensions (metric) | Ht: 18.68cm W: 13.02cm D: 6.35cm |
Weight | 1lb 6oz |
Condition | Excellent, age appropriate signs of wear |
Item Number | 16966A-PAL |
Shipping Box Size | |
Width | 0” to 5.9” |