A RARE SANCAI-GLAZED BISCUIT PORCELAIN BRUSHWASHER WITH LIU HAI AND HIS TOAD

Description:

China, Kangxi period
H. 13,5 cm
Seated above a bassin with his toad, holding a cash coin and a peach fruit in his hand.
German private collection, acquired at Vanderven & Vanderven Oriental Art (19000.- guilders). - Cf. Jorge Welsh 'Biscuit - Refined Chinese Famille Verte Wares', London 2012, no. 33, another brushwasher with Liu Hai shaped as ingot
The Chinese god of wealth, Liu Hai, is based upon the story of a Daoist priest living in the 10th century, who
was accompanied by a mystical, three-legged toad. Believed to have come from the moon, this toad was
blessed with immortality and the ability to find hidden treasure. Occasionally the toad would escape from
Liu Hai, who would lure him back with a string of gold coins, which is represented in this piece. Coins
themselves were popular decorative motifs symbolising prosperity and fortune, as was the ingot upon which
Liu Hai sits.
Few very small restorations