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Lot 64

TWO CARVED BAMBOO 'LOTUS' WRIST RESTS
18th century

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

£3,000 - £4,000

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TWO CARVED BAMBOO 'LOTUS' WRIST RESTS

18th century
Comprising: a wrist rest of curved rectangular form, deftly carved in negative with a crab resting atop a large lotus leaf, with lotus pads, blossoms, and leaves issuing from a stream; together with a smaller one carved in high relief with sprays of lotus leaves, pods, and blossoms.
22.8cm (9in) and 13.2cm (5 1/4in) long. (2).

Footnotes

十八世紀 竹雕荷塘清趣圖臂擱 一組兩件

Provenance: Hugh Moss, 1970's (the 'crab and lotus' wrist rest) (collector's notes)

來源: Hugh Moss, 1970年代 (螃蟹荷花紋臂擱) (藏家筆記)

The Chinese character for lotus (he 荷) is a homophone for he (和), meaning 'harmony,' while the character for crab (xie 蟹) sounds similar to xie (諧), which means 'harmony' or 'agreement.' Together, these two symbols create a meaningful and auspicious image that conveys the concept of 'harmony' (hexie 和諧), symbolising balance and unity. This pairing is often found in Chinese art and culture, where it represents peaceful coexistence and the harmonious relationships between nature and humanity. This motif has been a common design, executed with varying levels of craftsmanship by artisans across different periods. The one in the present lot appears to be among the finest examples of this design. See a similar carved bamboo 'lotus and crab' wrist rest, Qing dynasty, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Small Refined Articles of the Study, Shanghai, 2009, p.177, pl.162.

See a similar bamboo carved wrist rest, 18th century, with crab and lotus, which was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, A Fine Collection of Chinese Bamboo Carvings from the Personal Collection of Mr and Mrs Gerard Hawthorn, 3 December 2008, lot 2312.

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