Lot Essay
In Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art, p. 135, T. T. Bartholomew remarks, that because of its green (qing) and white (bai) colors, "the Chinese cabbage" (Brassica rapa var. glabra) is a pun for qing and qingbai, both meaning 'without stain,' as in a clean personal record." Bartholomew also notes that the second character of "cabbage" (cai) is a pun for "wealth," and that the Chinese believe that eating this vegetable will help one gain prosperity