W80xD50xH155mm, China
This is a miniature Shou Shan stone vase which has intricate carving of a chrysanthemum flower. The Shou Shan stone is wonderful stone for carving, particularly for seals, its also a good material for other ornamental works. This antique piece of work with its chipping has a sense of rustic, of the untended nature.
DIA150mm, Hong Kong
A cheerful piece, like a bunch of fire crackers. The sound of fire crackers are symbols of festivity in China, particularly the Chinese New Year.
Once upon a time, the is a single horn creature named Eve, she is huge and bad tempered. Around the end of the year, she will go to the village and cause chaos; fearing for their lives, the villagers will hide in the mountain. One freezing winter, the villagers were on their way to the mountain hideout, they met a starving little boy. They fed him with what little they have and brought him along to the cave. The boy was curious why everyone, the young and the elders, is making an outing in such cold weather. They told him about the Eve the monster and this is the only way to escape their death. The boy told them he has a way of keeping Eve away, he asked them to chopped up some bamboo and to head back to the village. When they were home, the boy asked them to pile bamboo pieces in the plaze and to hang a piece of red cloth in front of their door. (Yes, I know you are wonder why they will trust a starving boy whom they found in the mountain, but this is how it goes …) The boy told them to stay in door while he lure Eve into the village and at that point they would throw torches into the bamboo pile. It is not long before the boy found the monster destroying the carts, the cloth seems to deter him from attacking the house. Just as the villagers were about to throw the fire torches into the bamboo pile, Eve thrown the boy over with her horn. The fire lightened up the bamboo and with its natural capsule causes a series of small explosion that frighten the Eve away. When the villagers attended to the boy, he told them his name is Year and passed away the next day on Chinese New Year. Though Eve has been scared away, the villagers feared her return, so on every New Year Eve, they would hang the red cloth over their doors and light up the fire crackers 爆竹.
Something Old Something New
Collectible Jewellery Collection
DIA220mm, Hong Kong
A necklace of layering, of intertwining.
Like exotic fruits on a ivy.
Handmade and unique.
Something Old Something New
Collectible Jewellery Collection
W185xL280xH45mm, China
A wooden box that contain a piece of stone. A stone that is used for grinding the ink bar – an inkstone.
A little water is added from the water drip onto the inkstone, one can still starting grinding the ink. In a small circular movement while keeping the ink still perpendicular to the stone, slowing the ink is dissolved. Though the inkstone has a very smooth surface, under the microscope this surface is in fact saw like, able to fine grind the inkstone.
The inkstone is carved out from a single piece of stone and this detail is carried through to the case which is also carved out from a single piece of wood.
W55xD60xH60mm, China
Got your appetite ready for the Chinese New Year fest? Would this slow cook pork belly make your mouth watery?
Fear not for the cholesterol, this is in fact a piece of stone which naturally reassemble the most desirable cut the “5 layers belly” where five thin layers of muscles is sandwiched in between layers of fat.
The most famous pork belly dish in China would have to be the Dong Po Rou, invented by the Sung scholar Su Dong Po. He was arrived in Huang Zhou as the new governor only to find half of the West Lake was covered with a kind of wild grass, he ordered for the grass to be cleaned up and developed a waterway system that not only prevented flooding but also made use of the water for cultivation. For the revival of the beautiful West Lake, the residents brought also their precious pork and order them to him. Su Dong Po accepted all the offerings, but instead of keep them all for himself, he asked his chef to cook the meat with his special recipe and give a piece to every household. They have never tasted anything so delicious and here it is;
INGREDIENTS
METHOD
W130xD20xH80mm, China
A curious blue object.
This is no modern art but a carving of the Shou Shan stone. The blue, without the artistic symbolism of Western art of the sacred, the heaven, the ideal, the escape etc etc was a mean of disguise. During the cultural revolution, all objects of art and decoration were target to be destroy and its owner punished. The owner must have treasured this object, instead of destroying it like many art object at the time, a layer of blue paint was applied to escape the prying eyes of the red guards.
Odd at it is, we have kept the blue paint on, as it is part of the history of this object.
DIA120mm, China
Yu Bi is a form of jade that is used for ceremony, like the jade huang it is one of the 6 forms of jade that is used for ritual ceremony and later identification. Yu Bi generally describes a piece of circular jade with a hole in the middle, as they sometimes come with pattern, this particular would be known as a Su (plain) Yu Bi, its being raised up in the center is known as a collar hence You Ling (collar) Su Yu Bi. This form of Yu Bi was for the late Shang dynasty, like the iphone in the 20th century, it was an high tech object, a status symbol that became so popular that it can be found in various parts of China.
This is Emporer Qian Long’s favourite, he wrote several poems about it and asked for the poem to be engraved onto the jade. The item is now part of the British Museum Collection.
Something Old Something New
Collectible Jewellery Collection
DIA130mm, China
A pair of jade bats.
The Chinese believes that bats symbolizes blessing, 2 bats, double blessing.
The word for bat is 蝠 ( fu), which sound like the word for blessing, 福 (fu)
Personally, I think they are the sweetest bats, perhaps second to this … wait to see it even yawns!
Something Old Something New
Collectible Jewellery Collection
DIA80xH420mm, China
This brush holder is in the form of a tree log, it is made with the stone is found outside of the mineral jade, the so called skin of jade. As the material and colour is completely different from the jade, part of the “jade skin” is sometimes used as an articulation for jade carvings. Here it is used on its own to resemble the bark of a tree.
Click here to see our other brush holders.
L170xW120xH20mm, China
The plum blossom has been an object of admiration by the scholars of China. Along with the orchid, chrysanthemum and bamboo, the 4 gentlemen plants have been a constant subject for artistic creation from poem, verses to painting and carvings. Each of the 4 are given an individual personality; the plum blossom – noble arrogance, orchid – eternal elegance, chrysanthemum – cool glamour, bamboo – humble but dignify.
The inkstone being a treasured item of a traditional scholar is a place to be decorated.
Now, nothing to do with noble arrogance but isnt he the sweetest … with the plum blossoms on his head.
Mountain Folkcraft 