W80xD80xH120mm, Vietnam
A box that smells like Xmas, apple pie, chai, the buttery toast in Hampstead, tagine, the warm sweet desert in the coldest night …
Now i am going to make myself a midnight snack …
Archives for posts with tag: container
H90xD50xW30, China
Two two lion with pup figurines are in fact bottles for medicine. The traditional Chinese medicine apart from the bitten tea, also comes in small pills and powder form. Judging by the size of the opening they would have been used to hold medicinal powder. Personally I find the powder form to be quite nasty, they tend to stick to your throat and the unpleasant taste lingered on for ages. I suppose these sweet looking bottles will help the patients take the medicine.
Here is the modern way of what thoughtful doctors do …
DIA100xH70mm, Hong Kong
INSTRUCTION
Rock shape box,
pinching to get a close form,
padding to get the facet shape and texture,
cut at semi dry to get the lid perfectly fit.
stoneware.
DIA140xH160mm, Hong Kong
As Chinese new year is coming up, this stem bowl is perfect for displaying the edible goodies.
Stoneware, glazed, 2 thrown pieces assemble.
DIA230xH230mm, China
This is one of the container for dowry for the Chinese in the old days, a container to be filled with melon seeds. Melon seeds is a popular snack for the Chinese especially for festive celebration like the Chinese New Year, apart from its nutrient and availability, more importantly its symbol for fertility.
Traditional melon seeds are kept in their shell and nibble open, unfortunately I cannot find a human demonstration, here is one by the squirrel.
See our other dowry containers; Wooden Pail, lacquer Box, Water Bucket, Double Happiness Jar, Embroidery Pouch.
DIA75 x H50mm, China
This item selected by Furze for the Something Old Something New exhibition and is available at both Mountain Folkcraft and Soil.
These pair of cups has a brown glazing (known as the soy sauce glaze) and internally a hand painted blue and white porcelain goldfish pattern. The goldfish pattern is a traditional Chinese pottery decoration; the word goldfish (金魚) and the word gold & jade (金玉) are heterographs (same pronunciation, but different meaning and spelling), a bowl full of golden fish is hence a house of wealth.
And here is the ultimate goldfish in a bowl by Riusuke Fukahori
DIA330mm, China
For those of us who grew up going to Japanese restaurants in Hong Kong, eating out of the black / red shiny bento boxes is a norm, so much that it becomes a symbol in our mind. But anyone ever wonder why there are so many black plastic containers? They are actually a replica of the lacquer ware that would have been traditionally used. Those are probably the closest some of us get to know of lacquer ware.
The making of lacquer ware is a laborious task of collecting urushiol from the lacquer tree (Toxicodendron vernicifluum) and applying thin layers of lacquer over a form (in this case, wood), let dry, polish and apply again and again. Here is a clip of Japanese lacquer tray making;
You will be surprised that the price of this handmade lacquer tray is not any more expensive than a good quality plastic one, and if you handle it with care (avoid soaking in water and the use of abrasive cleaner) it will last just as long. Make this your first lacquer ware!
This item selected by Furze for the Something Old Something New exhibition and is available at both Mountain Folkcraft and Soil.
DIA100mm, China
This is four seasons floral plate is a folk’s version of the famille rose decoration. The normal examples of famille rose you see in museum and exhibitions are very delicate and refine works of art, they can be seen as an extension of Chinese painting, the decoration of this plate uses the same technique of glazing but with a bolder pattern, it is an everyday plate for the commoners. Famille rose was invented and became popular in the Qing dynasty, basing on the technique acquired from famille verte and the colour material of the color enamel from the West, a decoration of a softer and different shades is achieved. The work is made from white clay, on the biscuit a colour outline is painted, then glass whiteness (a white colour use for enamel work) is applied within the outline. Colours are then painted over the glass whiteness glazing, giving a softer colour than the famille verte decoration.
This item selected by Furze for the Something Old Something New exhibition and is available at both Mountain Folkcraft and Soil.
DIA130xH50mm, China
Comparing to the wooden box shown in the previous box, though both of the boxes are round, this is a more economical and sustainable way of achieving around wooden container. Unlike the previous post where the box is lathes out from a solid piece of wood, this box smartly uses the idea of wooden bending and of course a circular cylinder is always the strongest form (apart from a sphere).
This item selected by Furze for the Something Old Something New exhibition and is available at both Mountain Folkcraft and Soil.
W370xD250xH470mm, China
A wooden pail is an everyday item in a traditional Chinese household, it is included in every bride’s dowry (see the previous post – Lacquer Pail) and indeed there are many types. The one feature today is a plain version for storing food stuff such as sweet cakes, flours, grain or dried fruits. The container is constructed by several pieces of wood (like a barrel), its oval shape made the construction much harder.
Mountain Folkcraft 