Antique Stoneware Lotus and Frog Wall Pocket, Shiwan, China (19302JAL) $285

Description

Shiwan stoneware wall-pockets “vases” were used as functional items to hold things like flowers and chopsticks and were in most Chinese homes by the late Qing Dynasty. In addition to their usefulness, they  reflecting the Chinese belief that having objects with auspicious images fills your home with favorable and optimistic energy (chi). This is very unusual and charming pocket has two very auspicious symbols: a frog seated on a lotus. The lotus and frog share similar and symbiotic traits. Both are aquatic organisms, lotus leaves as provide shelter for frogs, while the frog nourish the plant’s root and both symbolize transformation. In Buddhist beliefs, both move between watery environments representing the subconscious and land which symbolizes the conscious or material world. Lotus in Chinese also means to bind or connect (in marriage), one after the other, uninterrupted, and to love and is also a wish for a woman to bear many sons. The frog (wa 蛙) is a symbol of fertility and a homophone for the word for baby (wa 娃). Shiwan stoneware pieces are recognized  for their fine modeling, vivid expression and colorful glaze. The kiln area where they are still produced is four millennia old and reached its height during the late Ming and Qing dynasties when they were known as the “Pottery Capital.” These potters mixed waste materials with local sand and inexpensive clay as perhaps one of the earliest and artistic forms of recycling to produce objects for every day needs with coveted apple-green and stunning drip glazes. Historically overshadowed by porcelains from imperial kilns, appreciation for these wares and their unique glaze has grown in the past several decades and are now prized as respected, distinctive, and collected ceramic art. Shiwan wall pockets are transforming kitchen accessories and unique wedding gifts not likely to be found in U.S. bridal registries and a source of positive feng shui.

Click here for the Blog The Allure of Shiwan Pottery

Sources:

Fredrikke S. Scollard and Terese Tse Bartholomew, Shiwan Ceramics: Beauty, Color, and Passion, San Francisco, Chinese Cultural Center, 1994.