Antique Chinese Wood Carving in the Form of a Sweetmeat Server

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Shopping for "SMALLS" in Chinese Furniture Markets was a rather daunting task. One had to be in the shops at … Read more Shopping for "SMALLS" in Chinese Furniture Markets was a rather daunting task. One had to be in the shops at the right time to buy what was available. My theory is that these objects are still in use and they break or become too worn to be picked up to be sold to antique shops. I was simply thrilled to have found this wood carving. The red and black colors and the bold carving betray its Fujian origins. Fujian Province is located at the southeast coast of China and a few of its seaports became Treaty Ports where Europeans were permitted to do trading. In addition, many people from Fujian settled in Southeast Asia and became wealthy, thus wanting objects from their homeland. These are two reasons why this beautiful wood carving was made.

The wood carving has been well cared for. The red and black lacquer appear to be original. The shape I believe is supposed to represent fruits - either peaches or pomegranates, probably the latter, on account of the small bits of red dots on the turned up corner that typifies the seeds of the fruit. Interesting carving highlighted in black represent leaves in the abstract. In all, it is a very pretty piece, most likely used to present sweetmeats - dried lichee, dragon eye, or apricots. See less