Archives for posts with tag: pearl

Golden Wood Carving – Double Dragon and Pearl

07/30/2014 //
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golden wood carvingL350xD25xH130, China

This golden wood carving used to be center pediment of an ornamental object, perhaps on small shrine in a temple.

On the carving, there are 2 dragons chasing after a pearl.  Dragons are believed to be mythical creatures from the sky, they need to attain a certain quality to become a saint.  After a few hundred years, the essence of what they have learnt from nature would become a pearl like pellet.  The dragon would spit out the pearl for it absorb the spirit of nature and the bigger the pearl would grow.  One day while a dragon was practicing with his pearl, another dragon decided to take this pearl to speedup his own attainment. The bad dragon spit out his pearl hoping it would absorb the other, the two pearls melted and became one giant pearl, both dragons wanted to take it in and started using all their tricks.  Their fight upset the nature of the universe and the Jade Emperor took them in and set the pearl on the temple which would be protected by the dragons for good

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Categories lacquer, wood

River Clam Shell

05/09/2014 //
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shellshellW280xD220mm, China

A large Chinese river clam which belongs to the Lamellibranchia family.  Some of species of the clams are able to produce  pearls,  there are stories of these clams being able to light up the lake (possibly at the time when there was no artificial light and a full moon, some of the light could possibly been reflected on the pearl in the shallow part of the lake).  Whether these stories were true or not it certainly get my imagination going.

For the oversize aged creatures, trees, turtle, foxes, etc., there are myths of them becoming monsters and goblins.  Here is the story about what goes on in the palace of the sea, with the appearance of the lobster, clam, cochlear, turtle goblins …    Perhaps this slightly oversize shell contained a goblin to be over 100 year ago.

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Categories Uncategorized

Buddha’s Birthday

04/28/2012 //
2

W100xD100xH200mm, China

Today, the 8th day of lunar April, is the birthday of the Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama).  According to the legend, on the night when Siddhartha was conceive, his mother Queen Maya has a dream.  In her dream there was a white elephant with 6 tusks holding a lotus flower went circling around her 3 times and then entered her right side.  The next morning Queen Maya told King Suddhodana the story and the King summoned the wise men to decipher the dream.  It was predicted that the child would become a great king or a Buddha (the enlighten one).

This is a wooden figurine of the Buddha, the third eye (spiritual awakening) of the Buddha is represented by the inlay of a tiny pearl.

If you happens to be in Hong Kong click here and join in the celebration.

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Categories figurine, wood
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