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Ganesh is one of the most distinctive images in Hinduism. His elephant head symbolizes the gaining of knowledge through listening (large ears) and reflection (large head). His ample belly symbolizes the whole universe contained inside him and his ability to digest whatever experiences life brings and is a sign of well-being and of his role…
Krishna, an avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu, is the god of love, protection and compassion and one of the most revered and popular of all Hindu deities. The focus of devotional cults for centuries, he has been a frequent inspiration for religious poetry, music and painting. This rare and exquisitely detailed antique silver pendant depicts Krishna…
This magnificent carving represents Guanyin the Bodhisattva of Compassion, the most revered female Mahayana Buddhist devotional figure in Buddhist countries in Asia since the 4th century. As a Celestial Bodhisattva she has attained enlightenment but chose to postpone enter nirvana, the place of perfect peace and happiness, to help all beings regardless of status, gender…
Guanyin means “she who observes the sounds or cries of the world” and in Sanskrit she is named Padmapani or “born of the lotus.” She is one of the Three Great Chinese Goddesses (Irwin). During the Late Ming and Qing Dynasties in rural provincial regions and especially Southern China, Guanyin became a syncretic cult figure…
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the cult of Songzi (“Child Giving”) Guanyin, the Buddhist bodhisattva of compassion, became one of the most popular religious movements especially among Popular Religion and Taoist female and male devotees. It reached all Chinese regions and social strata and included the upper classes, court figures and the literati as…
Tudi Gong is one of the Chinese Earth-Gods referred to by many names including the Land God or Village God and often fondly referred to as “Grandpa.” He is a syncretic deity defined by the blend of Taoism, Buddhism, Popular Religion and Confucian traditions, and as a tutelary deity is responsible for administrating and protecting…
Chinese stone weights have been used for millennia as measurement that were standardized with each dynasty. There were also local applications as a non-standardized weight, securing a picnic cloth, keeping a scholar’s calligraphy paper immobile and as a garden accessory. These antique Chinese stone carvings were often auspicious shapes like animals, fruit, and vegetation. During…
Offerings of sweets, fruits, florals, tea and currency are traditionally placed on a home altar in Chinese homes and temples, often in front of ancestor figures or tablets as a form of ancestor worship in homage to their spirits. They were also placed before Buddhist and Taoist images in reverence and gratitude to the deities….
Initially linked to the Big Dipper in Chinese mythology, Wen Chang is worshipped in the 3rd and 8th months as the God of several spheres: Literature, Books and Writing, Education, Learning and Examinations and is the patron saint of scholars. As one of the revered Taoist-deities, hero and one of the house-gods closely associated with…
Taoist images were represented as scholars, sages, heroes, deities, officials and priests. When these images are taken out of context they are very difficult to identify so we describe them in generic terms as a Taoist Officials, Priests or Deities. We identify this image an Official since he holds a hu-tablet associated with officials and…
Taoist images were represented as scholars, sages, heroes, deities, officials and priests. When these images are taken out of context they are difficult to identify so we describe them in generic terms. Seated on a backless chair wearing long flowing officials-robes with deep folds, we use the terms officials/priests for this image, since he his…
Likely a Taoist official, this carving holds a cup holding an elixir that reputedly would confer to those commissioning the image it a long and healthful life. Discovering elixirs of life that might confer immortality was a motivating belief in Taoism and during Ming and Qing dynasties small images of Taoist officials and priests often…
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