Antique Stoneware Wall Pocket Chopsticks Holder, Shiwan, China (16966B-PAL) $115

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 is centered by an upside-down bat (fu) with a coin surrounded by a ribbon and the combination of a bat, coin and ribbon is are a rebus for “blessings in front of your eyes”. The combination of symbols with bats represents the Five Blessings or Happinesses reflecting the Chinese belief having objects with auspicious symbols fills your home with fu and optimistic energy (chi) and strengthens feng sui. Decorative every day Shiwan ware pieces are recognized for their fine modeling, vivid expression, and colorful apple-green drip glazes. Shiwan potters mixed waste materials with local and inexpensive clay, one of the earliest artistic forms of recycling. Although overshadowed by imperial porcelains, in past decades appreciation for these wares has grown a lot. A similar piece is in the exhibition Shiwan Ceramics at the Chinese Cultural Foundation of San Francisco catalogue. Shiwan chopstick holders are unique wedding gifts, especially as kitchen accessories and as wall art. .

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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 , p. 41

Terese Tse Bartholomew, Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art, San Francisco, Asian Art Museum, 2006.