Fu

The Chinese word fu (福) is translated as happiness, blessings and good fortune and the wish for fu is represented by well recognized symbols is ubiquitous in all aspects of Chinese life displayed in architecture, furniture, functional and utilitarian objects, porcelains and pottery, textiles, clothing, jewelry and other decorative accessories. Red is the color of fu which is also complemented and enhanced by gilt. The character fu is auspicious, as are their homophones and rebuses. A bat (fu 蝠) is a homophone for “good fortune” or “happiness” as its tone is very similar to the tone to for fu (福) As they are homophones, the bat is a symbol and also a visual pun (rebus) for good luck, often found in colored red. When the character for fu (福) or the representation of a bat are upside-down, it signifies that ‘good fortune has arrived’ since the word for ‘arrive in Chinese sounds like the word fo ‘upside-down., another Chinese homophone. Five bats represent the Five Blessings or Happinesses .

  • Sale! Antique Ladies Vanity Cabinet with Elaborate Carving #16442

    Antique Ladies Vanity Cabinet with Elaborate Carving #16442

    Original price was: $695.00.Current price is: $495.00.
    Ht: 20.75” W: 19.125” D: 11” |CALL 213-568-3030 OR EMAIL [email protected] FOR SHIPPING COST

    This very fine ladies vanity cabinet is covered with red lacquer, the color of blessings (fu), highlighted with gold and deeply carved and painted decorations of auspicious symbols to bring happiness, good fortune, long life and many sons to the elite couple who may have received it as a wedding gift by parents in hopes of them successfully carrying on the family tradition.  This is a reflection of the Confucian belief having sons to carry on the family name is essential to real happiness.

    Add to cartLoading Done
  • Sale! Antique Low Lacquered Wood Table, China #16005LMK

    Antique Low Lacquered Wood Table, China #16005LMK

    Original price was: $595.00.Current price is: $375.00.
    H: 5.625″ W: 27.875″ D: 9.75″ | CALL 213-568-3030 OR EMAIL [email protected] FOR SHIPPING

    The low profile and fine lacquered finish of this charming antique wood chest add warmth and a touch of antique fine craftsmanship to any setting. The two intricately carved drawers for storage lend it to a multitude of uses. Carved auspicious symbols to bring the Five Blessings or Happinesses include peonies and vines, butterflies, plum blossom and a Japanese lily. The sides have inset panel with florals and the bottom has a decorative apron with a beautiful fretwork vine design. Its warm patina extends to the detailed brass butterfly handles.

    Add to cartLoading Done
  • Sale! Antique Miniature Gilt Cabinet with Side Carving, China #19223BAK

    Antique Miniature Gilt Cabinet with Side Carving, China #19223BAK

    Original price was: $435.00.Current price is: $375.00.
    Ht: 15.25″   W: 11″   D: 4.875″  |  CALL 213-568-3030 OR EMAIL [email protected] FOR SHIPPING

    Small red and gold decorated and carved cabinets like this were wedding gifts, often by parents, as a wish for the young couple to be fertile and have many sons.  Auspicious symbols here include a peony a metaphor for female beauty and fertility and a willow, like the peony, representing spring – the season of youth, new beginnings, optimism and fertility.

    Add to cartLoading Done
  • Sale! Antique Official in Red Robes with a Hu Tablet, China #16851BOK

    Antique Official in Red Robes with a Hu Tablet, China #16851BOK

    Original price was: $875.00.Current price is: $475.00.
    H:  15.5″    W: 6.125 ” 4.125   D:  ”    |  FREE SHIPPING WITHIN CONTINENTAL U.S.!

    This carved ancestor figure portrayed as an official sits on a backless chair with a decorative pedestal in official’s attire: a high collared red robe, double belt above and below his ample stomach and holding a long slender curved hu-tablet,  all signs of his office and status. He is vibrantly painted in red, the color of fu, as a wish for prosperity and status.

  • Sale! Antique Pair of Double Happiness Oil Lamps, China #16915BAE

    Antique Pair of Double Happiness Oil Lamps, China #16915BAE

    Original price was: $295.00.Current price is: $175.00.
    H:9.25  ”    W: 5.25 ”    D: 3.5 ”    |  FREE SHIPPING WITHIN CONTINENTAL U.S.!

    The pair of antique oil lamps was meant to bring good luck and happiness decorated on top with a double lozenge, a diamond shaped symbol is a lucky object that is a protective sign casting out demons and means “many treasures.” The five leaves are plum blossoms, symbols of perseverance and purity, and the Five Blessings or Happinesses – wealth, health, longevity, a peaceful death and the love of virtue As an  oil lamp it was used with a wick hanging over the side.

    Add to cartLoading Done
  • Sale! Antique Seated Ancestor Official, China #16289BME

    Antique Seated Ancestor Official, China #16289BME

    Original price was: $650.00.Current price is: $325.00.
    H: 7.25” W: 4.625” D: 3.5” | FREE SHIPPING WITHIN CONTINENTAL U.S.

    Finely carved ancestor displaying status symbols: official’s attire and hat,  horseshoe chair with feet on pedestal  Masterfully carved and lacquered and is painted on front and back in red  with traces of gilt – all propitious colors of “fu” as a wish for wealth, health, good fortune, long life and long life – that has faded over it years of use into a great patina.

  • Sale! Antique Shiwan Offering Bowl, Peaches and Lotuses, Shiwan, China  (19330)

    Antique Shiwan Offering Bowl, Peaches and Lotuses, Shiwan, China (19330)

    Original price was: $450.00.Current price is: $295.00.
    Ht: 5.5”  Dia: 6” |  FREE SHIPPING WITHIN CONTINENTAL U.S.

    Shiwan stoneware peaches and lotuses on footed bowl auspicious symbols associated with springtime, fertility, long healthy life for many generations and therefore are propitious gifts for birthdays, especially for the elderly.

  • Antique Stone Fu Lion, China (16394JLM)

    Antique Stone Fu Lion, China (16394JLM)

    $195.00
    H: 4.5″  Dia: 3.25″ | FREE SHIPPING WITHIN CONTINENTAL U.S.!

    This hand carved antique stone flu lion is a fun loving benevolent creature as seen in his open mouth with sharp teeth in a fanciful grin with a curled tongue, mischievously twinkling eyes under bushy eyebrows and a compressed rotund body with a very small tail. This is not your refined portrait of an elegant protective beast, it’s just a friendly pet hanging out . He probably lived in the garden of a provincial fun-loving family and is looking for a similar environment where people like old wonderful pieces to remind them not to take themselves too seriously.

  • Sale! Antique Taoist Official with the Elixir of Life #16312BOK

    Antique Taoist Official with the Elixir of Life #16312BOK

    Original price was: $450.00.Current price is: $395.00.
    Ht: 9″ W: 5″ D: 3.5″ | FREE SHIPPING WITHIN CONTINENTAL U.S.!

    During the Ming and Qing dynasties small images of Taoist officials and priests were often shown holding a cup of the elixir of life to place on home altars along with ancestor figures, house gods and other religious images to bring blessings (fu) to the household. By commissioning  figures like this artful carving, families honored their ancestors and met their filial piety duties. Mounted on an acrylic stand.

  • Sale! Antique Two Sided Sweetmeat Confection-Mold, China #3562

    Antique Two Sided Sweetmeat Confection-Mold, China #3562

    Original price was: $425.00.Current price is: $310.00.
    Ht: 1.25″   W: 15″    D:14.87″   |  CALL 213-568-3030 OR EMAIL [email protected] FOR SHIPPING COST

    This intricately hand carved gold and silver platter with indentations on both sides was used to make confections called sweetmeats eaten at festivals, holidays, and other key celebrations. The round molds symbolize the moon and cohesion of the family. The 5-petal plum blossoms attached to vines symbolize  purity and endurance, as well as  the coming of spring, renewal, and longevity. The multiple seeds are a wish for fertility and sons, and thus this mold  may have been a holiday and/or marriage gift to a young couple.

    Add to cartLoading Done
  • Antique Wood Kitchen God and His Wife, China (19028LAK) $995

    Antique Wood Kitchen God and His Wife, China (19028LAK) $995

    $995.00

    The Kitchen God (Zao Shen) was and still is among the most important Chinese house gods. Traditionally every family had its own Kitchen God with or without his wife above the stove to reflect his and its central position in the family’s life. The Kitchen God is both a syncretic and a tutelary deity embraced…

  • Sale! Antique/Vintage Kitchen God and His Wife, China #16850BME

    Antique/Vintage Kitchen God and His Wife, China #16850BME

    Original price was: $625.00.Current price is: $375.00.
    H: 8.25″  W: 3.125″  D: 2.25″ | FREE SHIPPING!

    This Kitchen God and his Wife is posed as streamlined virtual mirror-images and fashioned with a general quality relying on paint rather than deep carving for details. They sit on backless chairs on a plinth, with simplified gold officials’ robes with long color sashes, and well-carved black and gilt head gear. The wife’s face is smooth, generalized and the male face has a more deeply carved surface and painted highlights.

End of content

End of content