A bamboo armrest

Qing dynasty, 18th century
Length: 11 in (27.9 cm)

The finely incised decoration portrays a pair of geese, one of them in flight but looking intently at its mate. The two geese are separated by a marsh plant swaying in the breeze, described in the literature as a “wheat plant”. The pair of geese symbolizes married bliss, but there is another reason for the popularity of geese among the literati: according to a legend, the famous calligrapher Wang Xi-zhi (321–379) was particularly fond of these animals and fed them with ink.

Scholars used such armrest to stabilize the hand while writing and painting, and most armrest were made of bamboo such as the present example. For more information on bamboo armrests, see Fang Jing Pei, Treasures of the Chinese Scholar (New York: 1987), p. 47-50. For further reading into the symbolism of this piece, see Wolfram Eberhard, A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols, English Edition (New York: 1988), p. 132.

Provenance:
E&J Frankel

Published: Asiantiques, Chinese Works of Art (2009), cat. no. 51

Ref. 858923

US$2,500