Juliette Hammer
Sale Coordinator
Lot 23
A FINE AND RARE RETICULATED CARVED BAMBOO 'NINE LINGZHI' BOWL-FORM STAND 17th/18th century
14 May 2025, 10:00 BST
London, New Bond Street£4,000 - £6,000
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Chen Xie
Specialist
Edward Luper
Specialist, Chinese Works of Art
Lazarus Halstead
Head of Chinese and Asian Art, London
A FINE AND RARE RETICULATED CARVED BAMBOO 'NINE LINGZHI' BOWL-FORM STAND
17th/18th century
The deep openwork vessel boldly carved with nine large fruiting lingzhi fungus, issuing from a network of gnarled leafy branches, overlapping and reaching around the sides to form the receptacle.
12.7cm (5in) wide.
The deep openwork vessel boldly carved with nine large fruiting lingzhi fungus, issuing from a network of gnarled leafy branches, overlapping and reaching around the sides to form the receptacle.
12.7cm (5in) wide.
Footnotes
十七/十八世紀 竹雕靈芝紋托座
Provenance: Michael Merton Antiques, London, 1970's (collector's notes)
來源： 倫敦古董商Michael Merton Antiques， 1970年代 （藏家筆記）
The carver has masterfully transformed the hard bamboo, capturing the plush softness and delicate folds of the mushroom with remarkable naturalism, featuring nine lingzhi fungi intricately intertwined, expertly pierced, and hollowed. In Chinese culture, the number nine is highly auspicious, symbolising longevity, completeness, and Imperial power. The lingzhi fungus (靈芝), cherished for its medicinal properties, is also a symbol of longevity. Moreover, the Chinese word for bamboo, zhu (竹), is a homophone for zhu (祝), meaning 'to offer good wishes.' When combined, they form the auspicious phrase zhushou (祝壽), expressing a heartfelt wish for a long and prosperous life.
See a related bamboo-root lingzhi carving, 17th/18th century, which was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 4 April 2015, lot 2891.