A pair of Chinese gold earrings earrings, 19th century, embellished with designs of coins and a butterfly enameled in kingfisher feather and inlaid with pearls and other gems, 2.9cm diameter Provenance: Private UK Collection. 清十九世纪 金翠鸟之羽珠宝蝴蝶纹耳环 Resembling balls in their shape, coins could be charged with the same auspicious symbolism of balls 球, homophone with qiu 求, meaning “to beg for”, and usually used in connection with other auspicious symbols to reinforce the request of the wish. Butterflies hudie were praised for their connection with female beauty, as well as for their association with wishes for immortality, being homophone with die 耋 meaning septuagenarian, and fertility, being die also homophone with die 瓞 meaning repeatedly, if combined with sequences of multiple seeds, such as pearls, in this instance. For reference see Maggie Bickford, The painting of Flowers and Birds in Sung-Yuan China, i Arts of the Sung and Yuan, 1996, p. 293-315.
A pair of Chinese gold earrings earrings, 19th century, embellished with designs of coins and a butterfly enameled in kingfisher feather and inlaid with pearls and other gems, 2.9cm diameter Provenance: Private UK Collection. 清十九世纪 金翠鸟之羽珠宝蝴蝶纹耳环 Resembling balls in their shape, coins could be charged with the same auspicious symbolism of balls 球, homophone with qiu 求, meaning “to beg for”, and usually used in connection with other auspicious symbols to reinforce the request of the wish. Butterflies hudie were praised for their connection with female beauty, as well as for their association with wishes for immortality, being homophone with die 耋 meaning septuagenarian, and fertility, being die also homophone with die 瓞 meaning repeatedly, if combined with sequences of multiple seeds, such as pearls, in this instance. For reference see Maggie Bickford, The painting of Flowers and Birds in Sung-Yuan China, i Arts of the Sung and Yuan, 1996, p. 293-315.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
