W240xH170mm, China
The embroidery for this child’s du dou (traditional under garment) departed from the popular theme of blessing; that of fertility, protection, etc.
It is unusual for the embroidery to depart from the generic themes of blessing, I have a feeling that the embroidery is the portrait if of the child the du dou is for, a chubby naughty boy who is the darling in her mother’s eyes.
Click to see our other du dou.
W60xD40xH90mm, China
A little clay figurine dressed in red and holding a fish.
This toy embedded many of the wishes that the parents would want for their child.
On his vest is the word “shou” 壽 – longevity,
while the fish 魚 “yu” shares the same sound as 余 “yu” – plentiful.
In the old days, when life is harsh, staying alive and having enough to survive on is a hope for the future. These words of blessing are often found in wood block prints, pottery, embroidery, wood carvings and even the name for dishes.
L160xD40xH160mm, China
A clay toy of a boy sitting on donkey.
This figurine reminded me of a childhood fable. A man and his son were on their way to the market with their donkey, a passerby saw them and said, “You have a donkey why not ride on it, such fools!” The man thought that’s true, so he put his son on the donkey. Its not long before someone else commented, “What a lazy boy, he lets his old folk walk while he rides.” The boy got off and asked his father to ride the donkey. Then another person said, “What a father, he rides the donkey and lets his young son walks.” So the man pick up his son and the two rides the donkey together, when they got to the market, someone scolded at them, “What a cruel family, two of them riding on a poor skinny donkey.” The man and the boy got off, feeling a bit bad, and thought the right thing for them to do is to carry the donkey, so they found a pole and tied the legs of the donkey to the pole and carried it upside down. The donkey hated it, just when they were crossing the bridge the kicking wiggled and cause the boy to drop his end of the pole, the donkey fell into the river and drowned. “This will teach you!”, said a man who saw what happened.
DIA180(L280mm), Hong Kong
For the celebration of the arrival of 2013, the Something Old Something New jewellery collection brings you the lucky blessing of the kirin boy. The kirin, a mystical creature which the Chinese believe to have magical power, it also took on the role of the stork for delivery babies. This role was attributed to the kirin from the legend of Confucius at the time before he was born; one night a kirin with a scroll in his mouth appeared in front of his parents’ house, the scroll, an announcement from heaven, has the words “he will be a wise man with good morality, though he does not have a throne, he has the virtue of a king”. The next morning, the kirin disappeared and Confucius was born, sine then the kirin is associated with delivering babies with talents. The kirin boy pendent, like the long life locket is a special blessing for the child wearing it.
Here is the “making off”, featuring an antique kirin boy silver pendent.
Mountain Folkcraft 