Standing Screen Carved with Auspicious Symbols
Artist/Maker
Chinese
Datelate 18th–19th century
MediumNanmu and hongmu wood
DimensionsOverall: 99 × 52 × 31 in. (251.5 × 132.1 × 78.7 cm)
Credit LineGift of Mrs. F. F. Prentiss
Object number1923.1
Status
Not on viewVisual puns that arise from similar-sounding words in Chinese are the basis of the symbolism on this screen. At the center is a pair of fish (shuāngyú 雙魚) underneath a stone chime (qìng 磬), suggesting the phrase “May there be an abundance of auspicious celebration” (jíqìng yǒuyú 吉慶有餘). The pair of fish also appears in Buddhist symbolism, where they represent freedom of movement and the capacity to thrive in an ocean of suffering. Surrounding those motifs are five stylized bats. The word bat (fú 蝠) is pronounced identically to the word for blessing (fú 福), so five bats symbolize the Five Blessings: old age, wealth, health, love of virtue, and a peaceful death. Surrounding all is a border pattern of angular, intertwining ornament, punctuated by stylized dragon’s-head elements, in an archaistic style that was extremely popular in the mid to late 18th century.
Exhibition History
Forgotten Objects: Decorative Arts from the Permanent Collection
- Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (February 9, 1986 - March 23, 1986 )
The Dragon and the Pearl: Symbols in Chinese Decoration
- Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (October 5, 1986 - January 5, 1987 )
Chinese Art: Culture and Context
- Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (January 2, 2002 - June 2, 2002 )
Collections
- Asian
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first half 20th century
first half 20th century
early 19th century
18th–19th century
first half 20th century
first half 20th century
19th century