Lot Essay
With beautifully carved catfish swimming lazily around a central chrysanthemum flower on its interior, an elegant scrolling lotus on the exterior and engagingly carved chrysanthemum-sprigs as handles, this spinach-green jade 'marriage' bowl perfectly expresses the wishes of a newly married couple. The lotus (he) provides a rebus for harmony, the chrysanthemum is a symbol of longevity, and the pair of catfish (nian nian) provide a rebus suggesting 'year after year'. As if harmonious long life and happiness year after year were not enough for the fortunate recipients, the word 'fish' in Chinese (yu) also provides a homonym for 'abundance', so the bowl also promises them prosperity.