Crane carrying a branch of marigold
Place of OriginChina
Dateapprox. 1900-1940
MaterialsNephrite
DimensionsH. 6 1/2 in x W. 4 in x D. 1 3/8 in, H. 16.5 cm x W. 10.2 cm x 3.5 cm
Credit LineThe Avery Brundage Collection
Object numberB70J1
DepartmentChinese Art
ClassificationsJade And Stones
On View
Not on viewBy virtue of its name the marigold (wanshouju) represents "ten thousand longevities" (wanshou), a birthday greeting once reserved for emperors and empresses. This nephrite sculpture portrays a crane carrying a bunch of marigolds and standing before a clump of bamboo (zhu), yet another longevity symbol and a pun for "congratulate" (zhu), a word used in greetings for birthdays and other celebratory occasions.
HIDDEN MEANING: May the crane and the marigold bring you ten thousand years of longevity (heshou wannian)!
Subject
- longevity
- crane
- marigold
- bamboo
- rock
- fungus
approx. 1900-1940
approx. 1800-1900
approx. 1980-1990
approx. 1900
1900-1950
1900s
approx. 1900-1940
1900-1949
1900-1930