Vintage Rare Chinese Carved Bone and Ink Box, Frog Motif. A hand carved Trinket or Pill Box made of bone and decorated with ink and brass hardware lift top, hinged with a brass rope and butterfly design closure on a carved wood base. Makes a wonderful gift or addition to your Chinoiserie collection.
In Chinese traditional culture, frog represents the lunar yin, and the Frog spirit Ch'ing-Wa Sheng is associated with healing and good fortune in business.
The frog is most famous in Chinese culture as a sign of prosperity. Ch’an Chu, the three-legged money frog, is a popular statue believed to attract or protect its owner's wealth. In feng shui, the art of planning and building structures to maximize harmony between individuals and the universe, frogs are recognized as a sign of affluence.
The association between frogs and money can be linked to the myth of Liu Hai, a 10th century bureaucrat who possessed a magical three-legged frog. Whenever the frog would hide in a well, Liu Hai would entice it to appear by dangling gold coins down the well for it to swallow.
DIMENSIONS: 3.25” L x 2” D x 1.25" H
ORIGIN: Made in China for export mid to late 20th century
MATERIALS: Bone, Tusk, likely Ox or Cow bone collected by farming communities
FACTS & HISTORY: Chinese have over 5,000 years of history, containing inestimable history and culture of all the arts. So craft arts have a long and rich tradition to be celebrated. In the 18th and 19th century there was high demand from the United States, crafts people used their ancient technics to create beautiful craft arts with jade, jewelry, silver and bone carving and stone artifacts specifically for export. The pieces all rich is Chinese culture, shared symbols of happiness, luck and wealth. Making them beautiful, meaningful objects to collect and very lovely gifts to give! Each piece is rare and unique, an exquisitely beautiful treasure with incredible workmanship.
In the beginning of 21st century these pieces are experiencing a tremendous resurgence in popularity after a few decades of waning interest. This phenomena has been coined Grand millennial decor, because the millennials comb through their mother's and grandmother's cast offs and mix them with modern trends to create a new decor style. Many pieces have been eagerly purchased or collected by the next generation who see their value, appreciate their quality and craftsmanship. To young collectors what's old is new again and it's the ultimate recycling!
