
Juliette Hammer
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£6,000 - £8,000
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Specialist, Chinese Works of Art

Head of Chinese and Asian Art, London
十七/十八世紀 竹雕和合二仙擺件
The Hehe Erxian, also known as the 'Two Immortals of Harmony and Union,' are traditionally associated with a long and happy marriage. These Daoist Immortals trace their origins to the Tang dynasty (618–906) poet-monks Hanshan and Shide. By the late Ming dynasty, they were commonly depicted holding a lotus and a box—objects that form a visual pun on the homophones he (harmony) and he (union). In 1733, the Yongzheng Emperor formally decreed that they should be known as the 'Saints of Harmony and Unity.'
Compare with a related bamboo root carving but of Liu Hai and toad, with similarly carved rocky outcrops, Qing dynasty, in the Shanghai Museum, illustrated in Literati Spirit: Art of Chinese Bamboo Carving, Shanghai, 2012, p.109, no.46.
See a related finely-carved bamboo Hehe Erxian group, 17th/18th century, which was sold at Bonhams London, 7 November 2019, lot 96.