Chinese people have long believed that they could attract good fortune to themselves by surrounding themselves with “lucky” objects, images and words. A jar or painting could contain symbols or motifs representing one of the five types of good fortune: luck, prosperity, longevity, double happiness, and wealth.

Antique symbol
People who do not know what to look for often miss the intended meaning carried on a piece of art or craft.
“The good fortune symbols are often conveyed by symbols in the form of people or deities, animals, plants, fruit, motifs, calligraphy, rebuses (visual puns) and paintings.”
Look out for lucky bats, peonies (prosperity), white cranes longevity), mandarin ducks (love), lotus (wealth, offspring) butterfly (love), crane (longevity), goldfish (abundance of gold), horse
(endurance/strength), magpie (joy), rooster (advancement), cicada (regeneration), or a peach (immortality).
The vase contains several symbols. At the top and base of the vase are five bats surrounding a symbol, “the five fortunes surrounding longevity”. The vase also carries the image of a resplendent phoenix (good fortune or good luck), chrysanthemums (comfortable life) and pomegranates (fertility).
Related posts:
Most informational Book on Decorative Motifs on Chinese Antiques Ceramics ~ James Downing


on Apr 14th, 2010 at 2:46 pm
Si vous êtes interessé par d’autre période historique telle que la grece antique. Je vous suggère d’aller visiter noter site dont l’un des articles est consacré au vase francois