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Lot Essay
Parrots, parakeets and lories have long been admired in China, both for their colourful plumage and for their ability to 'speak'. While not a completely accurate depiction, it seems possible that this bird is intended to represent a Fairy Lorikeet (Charmosyna pulchella) or a Chattering Lory (Lorius garrulus), either of which could have been brought to China from Indonesia.
In ancient times wild parrots or parakeets were found in the Long mountain region on the border of Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, but these are no longer found so far north and are restricted to Sichuan, Yunnan and eastern Tibet. From the 2nd century AD various breeds of parrot and related species were sent to China from Lingnan in south-eastern China and from Champa (now central Vietnam). In the Tang dynasty various types of parakeet are recorded as living wild on the Luizhou peninsula (Guangxi Automomous Region) and in western Guangdong province. From the 3rd century, however, increasing numbers of exotic parakeets, lories, and cockatoos, were sent from Indonesia and Indochina as gifts to the Chinese court, and were also imported for sale to members of the elite. A number of gifts of multi-coloured and white parrots are recorded during the Tang dynasty. Thereafter such birds became popular amongst wealthy Chinese who kept them in their homes or gardens.
Parrots were regarded as being intelligent, but as caged birds their intelligence was felt to be subjugated. They were, therefore, sometimes seen as symbols either of brides, who voluntarily surrendered their liberty to their husbands, or vassals who altruistically renounced their own interests to serve their lord. This rare cloisonné enamel sculpture, formed as a parrot perched on an ornate stand, may, however, simply have appealed to its owner as a pleasingly exotic decoration.
In ancient times wild parrots or parakeets were found in the Long mountain region on the border of Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, but these are no longer found so far north and are restricted to Sichuan, Yunnan and eastern Tibet. From the 2nd century AD various breeds of parrot and related species were sent to China from Lingnan in south-eastern China and from Champa (now central Vietnam). In the Tang dynasty various types of parakeet are recorded as living wild on the Luizhou peninsula (Guangxi Automomous Region) and in western Guangdong province. From the 3rd century, however, increasing numbers of exotic parakeets, lories, and cockatoos, were sent from Indonesia and Indochina as gifts to the Chinese court, and were also imported for sale to members of the elite. A number of gifts of multi-coloured and white parrots are recorded during the Tang dynasty. Thereafter such birds became popular amongst wealthy Chinese who kept them in their homes or gardens.
Parrots were regarded as being intelligent, but as caged birds their intelligence was felt to be subjugated. They were, therefore, sometimes seen as symbols either of brides, who voluntarily surrendered their liberty to their husbands, or vassals who altruistically renounced their own interests to serve their lord. This rare cloisonné enamel sculpture, formed as a parrot perched on an ornate stand, may, however, simply have appealed to its owner as a pleasingly exotic decoration.