Chinese Carved Bamboo Zhang Zhihe Poem Bitong

Details

Description

Chinese carved bamboo Zhang Zhihe poem bitong, with a finely carved Buddhist monk, Fuhu Luohan, holding a flaming ring on … Read more Chinese carved bamboo Zhang Zhihe poem bitong, with a finely carved Buddhist monk, Fuhu Luohan, holding a flaming ring on one side, and a famous Zhang Zhihe poem in finely carved kaishu script, about his banishment from the Imperial court, on the other side. The finish is lustrous and very fine. The brushpot has a deep, inset, natural base. The finely carved, live edge, Chinese, hongmu stand is included. Circa Republic of China era. See last pic for Zhang Zhihe history and see below for translation of the poem. The flaming ring has magical powers and symbolizes the outer wall of the profane world, beyond which all is chaos.

brushpot: 5.5" high x 4.375" wide x 3.75" deep.

stand: .75" high x 7" wide x 5" deep

"In front of Xisai mountain the white seagulls fly,
Peach blossoms flow in the water and the Mandarin perch are fat.
In a blue bamboo hat and a green straw cloak,
with slanting winds and fine rain, there is no need to return (to public office)"

Fuhu Luohan: also known as the Taming Dragon Arhat, is an arhat and one of the Eighteen Arhats in China. His origins are said to derive from the Buddhist monk, Maitriya. Added to the original roster of 16 Arhats, somewhere between the late Tang Dynasty and early Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, his story is taken from the legend of Bintou-Lu. See less