W100xL230xH100mm, China
A lacquer box with painted dragon and phoenix which comes with 2 levels and 3 circular compartments. This is probably a box for storing small incense but our customers found it to be a good idea to use it for storing stationary.
L220mm, China
Chopstick has been around in China for more than 3000 years; there has been many material used for making them, wood, bamboo, ivory, bone, lacquered, silver, gold, jade and of course the recent plastic and stainless steel version. It is commonly believed that silver is used as a material for its ability to detect poison. Perhaps it is the tarnishing of the silver from the sulphur in arsenic that made the name of the silver chopstick. Please dont be alarmed by the tarnished silver on this pair of chopstick, it is due to natural oxidation from its age and not from any poison. The legend of the silver chopstick goes like this; the famous politician of the Zhou dynasty Jiang Zi Ya was once only interest in fishing (with a straight hook) and nothing else. His wife got fed up with his idleness and decided to kill him and to marry someone else. One day as usual, he came home empty handed after fishing, his wife had prepared a spiked up meat dish for his supper, just as he tried to grab the meat a bird flew in and packed on his hand. The bird did it again and again as he tried to go for the meat, sensing something is out of the ordinary, he pretend to chase the bird and left the house. Up a hill, the bird told him only to eat with the two sticks on the ground where it stood. Jiang return home and pick up the meat with the sticks as he was told, smoke appears and his wife fainted. His eating sticks got famous and everyone started eating with chopsticks. The moral of the story …. men, dont go fishing too often + remember to bring at least a fish home (even if you have to buy it from the supermarket).
L180xD70xH70mm, China
There are many themes for the gold plated lacquered wood carving (so many verbs, but there there are so many layers layers to the work); floral and symbolic carving is one of them. The two symmetrical flowers are peony, representing wealth and glamour. The center piece is xiu qiu (embroidery ball) which is a blessing symbol for love. Many year ago when public dating are forbidden, the girl would select the groom by throwing the xiu qiu. On the 15th of lunar January / August, the suitors would gather under the ladies’ quarter, the girl would throw the xiu qiu and whoever catches it will be the groom. This carving is likely to be part of the decoration from the bridal sedan. (see more about xiu qiu)
W220xH360mm, China
This is a rice container for the southern part of China. In a traditional Chinese family very often the clan would be living within one house / estate, all meals would be eaten together, rice would be cooked in a wok in a kitchen far away, the cooked rice would be transported and served in a lacquered pail. This pail is has a gold painted decoration over the lacquered.
Side tracking; the Chinese would insult a stupid person as a “rice barrel”, someone who is “a gold painted lacquered rice barrel” would transfer to someone who is well package but in fact an idiot (the precise word has escape me, please help to suggest the word). This is very nice item, I hope the story wont stop you from taking it home. :)
Mountain Folkcraft 