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Lot 52

A BAMBOO 'DOUBLE POMEGRANATE' CARVING
18th century

14 May 2025, 10:00 BST
London, New Bond Street

Sold for £4,096 inc. premium

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A BAMBOO 'DOUBLE POMEGRANATE' CARVING

18th century
Naturalistically carved as a small pomegranate resting atop a larger pomegranate, the larger bursting with ripe seeds, issuing gnarled branches carved in high relief with curling leaves.
15cm (5 7/8in) high.

Footnotes

十八世紀 竹雕石榴擺件

The splitting pomegranate is a beloved motif in Chinese art, carrying the symbolic pun liukai baizi (榴開百子), which conveys a wish for the birth of many children, particularly sons. Bamboo carvings of this form are rare; however, a similar double pomegranate design in white jade can be found in the Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade 9, Beijing, 2011, no.162. This piece offers a comparable representation, highlighting the enduring significance of the pomegranate in Chinese symbolism.

See a related bamboo carved 'double pomegranate' group, 18th century, which was sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 29 May 2018, lot 6. See also a related bamboo pomegranate group, 18h century, from the collection of Mr and Mrs Gerard Hawthorn, which was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 3 December 2008, lot 2310.

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