THE PROPERTY OF A LADY
A RARE OPENWORK ALOESWOOD RUYI

Details
A RARE OPENWORK ALOESWOOD RUYI
QING DYNASTY, 17TH/18TH CENTURY

Naturalistically carved in high relief and openwork to depict an intricate network of gnarled trailing branches, concealing bats and ruyi fungi, the underside of the shaft with deep crevices in imitation of a tree trunk
14 in. (35.5 cm.) long
Provenance
A Chinese private collector, acquired in Beijing in 1979

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Lot Essay

Aloeswood, chenxiangmu, is the resinous wood from the Aquilaria tree enxiang mu, an evergreen tree native to Southeast Asia. The Aquilaria tree frequently becomes infected with a parasite fungus or mould, Phialophora parasitica, and begins to produce an aromatic resin in response to this attack. It is this precious resinous wood that is treasured around the world, particularly in China, Japan and Tibet. Due to the soft and perishable nature of the material, not many examples of aloeswood carving have survived.

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