.jpg?w=1)
拍品專文
This charming bottle belongs to a group of mid-Qing amber carvings of exceptional quality, and representing a school of carving which frequently used so-called 'root amber' to great effect and appears to have continued well into the nineteenth century.
This scene is a typical fairyland scene, or abode of the immortals, thought to exist on an island in the Western seas (in ancient times, when the cult of the Mother goddess of the West was born, the Chinese considered their far Western borders to meet the sea). Shoulao, the Daoist God of Longevity, was part of the pantheon of Gods who inhabit this paradise. Although their specific identities remain unknown, the three figures are maiden immortals shown in different pursuits with one dancing, one gathering fungi with the help of her hoe, and the third carrying them. Lingzi were considered the fungi of the immortals and represents longevity, as does the ancient pine and the rocks, not to mention Shoulao. Although not normally associated with the Daoist Paradise, the peony here represents wealth. The doors to the cave denote a mystical realm, and from it an enlightening vapor emerges.
An intriguing feature of this bottle rests in the iconography. Shoulao is typically shown holding a staff, but in this case he holds a dragon-headed staff, which, although a known type, is rarely associated with any particular individual.
This scene is a typical fairyland scene, or abode of the immortals, thought to exist on an island in the Western seas (in ancient times, when the cult of the Mother goddess of the West was born, the Chinese considered their far Western borders to meet the sea). Shoulao, the Daoist God of Longevity, was part of the pantheon of Gods who inhabit this paradise. Although their specific identities remain unknown, the three figures are maiden immortals shown in different pursuits with one dancing, one gathering fungi with the help of her hoe, and the third carrying them. Lingzi were considered the fungi of the immortals and represents longevity, as does the ancient pine and the rocks, not to mention Shoulao. Although not normally associated with the Daoist Paradise, the peony here represents wealth. The doors to the cave denote a mystical realm, and from it an enlightening vapor emerges.
An intriguing feature of this bottle rests in the iconography. Shoulao is typically shown holding a staff, but in this case he holds a dragon-headed staff, which, although a known type, is rarely associated with any particular individual.