19th Century Chinese Wooden Wedding Bowls with Carrying Rack

19th Century Chinese Wooden Wedding Bowl Rack
Date: Mid-late 19th Century
Size: 22 inches high; bowls 7 1/2 inches diameter
Materials: Hand carved and painted wood
Imagery: Bird sitting on tree branch, auspicious Chinese symbols. Each bowl design is varied as to the position of bird and branch, and the arrangement and selection of the 4 surrounding symbols. There are 5 auspiscious sybols used: the gourd, sword, flute, lotus bud, and perhaps firecracker.
Markings: 2 bowls unmarked, 4 bowls marked with same 4 characters; 6 bowls marked with 4 different characters
Description: The wooden four-footed rack is an ingenious design. The top of one of the legs is hinged with a metal pin to open for removal of bowls. The top and bottom structure is in the auspicious form of the whirling log or pinwheel configuration. The top is mounted with an iron handle so the whole rack loaded with the stack of 12 bowls, another auspicious number, can be easily carried. The bowls are carved with a deep foot and convex interior which nest together perfectly, making for a very stable column of bowls when stacked. Each bowl is banded on the exterior with a double-twisted metal wire in order to stablize the wood and keep it from cracking. This is obviously an indigenous piece made for use within the culture rather than a tourist piece made for export. It is not a production piece—each bowl, although containing the same basic elements, is unique. Each bird and branch position is different, and each bowl has a different configuration of the four surrounding symbols, leading me to belive that these bowls may have been used as offering bowls within a wedding ceremony.
Condition: The piece is in excellent condition. It has a wonderful old patina. It is made with no nails—an excellent example of indigenous Chinese folkart. The wooden pieces are held together with a tongue and groove construction.
Item #aa09
$450

	19th Century Chinese Folkart Wooden Wedding Bowls with Carrying Rack

















	19th Century Chinese Wooden Wedding Bowl Rack Date: Mid-late 19th Century Size: 22 inches high; bowls 7 1/2 inches diameter Materials: Hand carved and painted wood Imagery: Bird sitting on tree branch, auspicious Chinese symbols. Each bowl design is varied as to the position of bird and branch, and the arrangement and selection of the 4 surrounding symbols. There are 5 auspiscious sybols used: the gourd, sword, flute, lotus bud, and perhaps firecracker. Markings: 2 bowls unmarked, 4 bowls marked with same 4 characters; 6 bowls marked with 4 different characters Description: The wooden four-footed rack is an ingenious design. The top of one of the legs is hinged with a metal pin to open for removal of bowls. The top and bottom structure is in the auspicious form of the whirling log or pinwheel configuration. The top is mounted with an iron handle so the whole rack loaded with the stack of 12 bowls, another auspicious number, can be easily carried. The bowls are carved with a deep foot and convex interior which nest together perfectly, making for a very stable column of bowls when stacked. Each bowl is banded on the exterior with a double-twisted metal wire in order to stablize the wood and keep it from cracking. This is obviously an indigenous piece made for use within the culture rather than a tourist piece made for export. It is not a production piece—each bowl, although containing the same basic elements, is unique. Each bird and branch position is different, and each bowl has a different configuration of the four surrounding symbols, leading me to belive that these bowls may have been used as offering bowls within a wedding ceremony. Condition: The piece is in excellent condition. It has a wonderful old patina. It is made with no nails—an excellent example of indigenous Chinese folkart. The wooden pieces are held together with a tongue and groove construction. Item #aa09 $450