Agate Goldfish & Jadeite Carp 瑪瑙金魚と碧玉鯉

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Do you know what these red (orange) things are?

They are opening their mouths! 口パクパク！

Agate goldfish 瑪瑙金魚

They are 15 goldfish strung together, carved from agate in the 19th century during the Qing dynasty, on show at the Toyokan Asian gallery of Tokyo National Museum!! Every fish is opening their mouths, which is so kawaii, making me smile.

Goldfish are symbol of wealth in China, but to me, their funny expressions and the color orange are more intriguing!

The gallery has another but the same type of sculpture below, a carp-shaped vase carved from a "single" piece of dark green and white jade, also in the 19th century under the Qing dynasty. Carp are a symbol of promotion and success in China.

Flower vase in shape of carp 碧白玉双鯉花器

Both are called "shoshoku" sculptures in Japan, i.e., sculptures carved out of stones while maximizing their original colors, i.e., in this case, red, and dark green and white, the original color of agate and jade. The National Palace Museum in Taipei also has this type of sculpture, Jadeite Cabbage.

Not only beauty in Chinese art but also the masterful skills of artisans always amazes me, giving me the strength to keep going.

If you are interested in agate pomegranate, read this, too!

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「瑪瑙金魚」と「碧白玉双鯉花器」です。「俏色工芸」という石の特性を生かした工芸です。

「瑪瑙金魚」は１５匹の金魚がつながっています。口パクパクしている様子がとってもかわいいです。「碧白玉双鯉花器」は碧色と白色の「一つ」の玉からできている鯉の花器です。

中国工芸の美しさ、そしてその技術の高さにいつもパワーをもらっています。

瑪瑙石榴に興味がある方はこちらもどうぞ！

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