Double-Gourd Flask
Manufacturer: Imperial Palace Workshop, Beijing
Date: Qing dynasty, Qianlong period (1736-1795)
Dimensions:
9 1/4 × 4 3/4 in. (23.5 × 12.1 cm)
Medium: Translucent amber-colored non-lead glass; blown, carved, polished.
Place of Origin: China
Classification: Glass
Credit Line: Museum Purchase
Object number: 2011.11
Label Text:According to tradition, this double-gourd flask was a wedding gift to the original owners. The yellow (golden) gourd is a symbol of good fortune and health in Chinese culture and golden gourd-shaped vessels and objects are often used as wedding gifts. The fish decoration carved on the flask also has marital associations: fish symbolize wealth because the Chinese word for “fish” sounds like the word for “abundance and affluence.” In addition, due to its reproductive success, the fish also signifies marriage and the birth of many children. A pair of fish, in particular, symbolizes conjugal happiness and freedom from restraint.
DescriptionThe blown, carved, and cut translucent amber glass bottle in the shape of a gourd is decorated with fertility symbols such as pairs of goldfishes (koi) and conch shells. Circular foot, polished flat, with polished concave pontil mark in the center; marked in the polished pontil mark.
Not on view
In Collection(s)