Ref: W570
£ 1,750
Price is subject to availability and market conditions.
Rare Chinese turquoise 'five peak mountain' brush rest, Kangxi (1662-1722), the biscuit covered with a turquoise glaze; on one side a dragon with qilin-like features including hooves and scaly hide, jumping amongst precious emblems including a cash coin and a scroll, the other side with a carp leaping from the water.
Notes:
This brush rest depicts the sacred mountains are East, South, Central, West and North – Tai Shan, Nan Yo, Sung Shan, Hua Shan and Heng Shan.
Represensitive of the five elements and cardinal directions, these mountains are significant pilgrimage sites in Taoist tradition and are renowned for their unique cultural and natural heritage.
This is rare example of a five peak mountain brush rest. The motif of leaping fish and dragon symbolises perseverance, courage and accomplishment. According to Chinese mythology, a carp that perseveres and successfully swims against the river to leap over the Dragon’s Gate at the top of Longmen is transformed into a mighty dragon. The myth gave rise to the traditional Chinese saying ‘Liyu Tiao Long Men’ 鲤鱼跳龙门 (lit: ‘the carp has leaped through the Dragon Gate’), used when proudly referring to a student who has worked hard and passed a difficult exam, though the odds were against them. The five characters of this well-known expression are alluded to in the five peaks of the brush rest, which would have been prized as an auspicious emblem of scholarly perseverance and excellence.
