my favirite little asian piece

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Posted 9 years ago

fox52
(1 item)

Small lidded container. With 5 bats on lid surrounding the symbol for
Longevity. With 4 panels dragon or fish pagoda 'clouds
Bronze or brass?

Help us close this case. Add your knowledge below.

fox52, 9 years ago
Jim thank you much their are no markings an the inside is not enameled perhaps it had a glass insert at some point but not nothing I love the look an colors of. It. An find it charming
Thanks again Fox
apostata, 2 years ago
you are missing the point

The Chinese have long known that bats are flying rodents. They are also known as ?? ti?nsh? ‘sky rat’ and ?? fùyì ‘embracing wings’. Bats are welcome arrivals because they eat huge numbers of flying insect pests. As they hibernate in caves there are legends about white bats that live for a thousand years and their body parts have been used in traditional medicine potions for longevity.

Their symbolic importance comes from a linguistic coincidence; the character for bat ? fú sounds the same and looks similar to ? fú ‘good fortune’ and so bats are commonly seen as decorations on ornaments and as motifs in paintings to wish good luck. Two bats symbolize double happiness. The five blessings of life (health, wealth, virtue, long life, peaceful death) are often represented by five bats sometimes surrounding the ? shòu emblem for longevity. The Rúyì ?? is a good luck charm that can be drawn in a shape like a bat's wings. There are many other combinations that have particular meanings, a red bat, for example, is a wish for great happiness, a bat with peaches a wish for a long and happy life, five bats and a box is a wish for a harmonious life of five blessings.

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