Circa 1830 China
Large 19th Century Silk Scrollwork Painting
£2,200
SOLD
Height 72 inches (183 cm)
Width 28 1/4 inches (71.75 cm)
Depth 1 inch (2.5 cm)
A large early nineteenth century scroll work painting, depicting two rabbits beneath white peonies, together with butterflies and a grass hopper.
Ink and colour on silk, mounted on a scroll and set within a giltwood frame.
Late Qing Dynasty
Chinese silk pictures such as this are highly symbolic and contain many mythological references. This example celebrates some of the most positive of these symbols:
The rabbit is the fourth animal in the Chinese zodiac. In Chinese culture, the rabbit is held up as the luckiest of the twelve animals. It symbolises elegance, mercy, beauty and intelligence and as such they make good scholars.
In Chinese mythological culture, the grasshopper represents longevity, happiness, good health, good luck, wealth, abundance, fertility and virtue. In certain Chinese regions, grasshoppers were kept as family pets and it was believed that they embodied the personalities of deceased family members.
The peony is a symbol of wealth, class and power; it is a popular theme in traditional painting and other decorations. The peonies in Luoyang (Henan province) are considered to be the most beautiful in the world.
