**Originally Listed At $5000**
East Asia, China, Ming Dynasty, ca. 1368 to 1644 CE. An elegant pair of pedestals carved from a massive piece of stone with zoomorphic and foliate motifs! The multi-tiered plinths feature a stable square base with four clawed feet at each corner, and a support column in the center. The surfaces above the feet are carved with stylized swirling clouds and dragons in low relief. The flowing presentation of the hair and whiskers suggests that the creature are flying through the sky. The large faces feature different images on each side. A few include: a robed man with a hoe and a deer prancing at his side, a rabbit crouching among blooming branches, a lotus flower, and a fern. The upper section features a flat, square surface. A fabulous pair, carved with many symbolic images of rebirth and life, that may have been part of a stone offering made to a deceased ancestor. Size: 11.25" W x 30.5" H (28.6 cm x 77.5 cm) Size: 11.25" W x 30.5" H (28.6 cm x 77.5 cm) Size: 11.25" W x 30.5" H (28.6 cm x 77.5 cm)
In China, dragons have traditionally symbolized auspicious powers involving control over rainfall, water, floods, and typhoons. Dragons are mythological symbols of good luck, strength, and power as well as the seasonal cycles and the supernatural. Dragons were displayed as a sign of physical and spiritual protection!
Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-M. Kobiashi collection, Hawaii USA, 1960 to 2000
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance),
we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.
Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.
#162582
Condition
Stable fissures and age commensurate weathering. Chips and losses to peripheries. Softening of details. Light mineral deposits.